By Modupe Gbadeyanka
This piece of information will excite women Shea collectors and processors in Kwara, Niger and Kebbi States as a leading Nigeria-based agribusiness and edible oils and fats processing company, Tropical General Investment (TGI) Group, has concluded plans to support them.
Recently, a subsidiary of TGI Group, West Africa Soy Industries Limited (WASIL), joined the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) and with this, the parent firm will over the next two years support 10,000 women Shea collectors and processors in the three states.
This is part of its commitment to boost local value addition and contribute to the sustainable development of the Nigerian Shea sector.
It was stated that the public-private partnership will enhance the business skills of women, provide access to storage facilities, connect them directly to markets while also building their capacity to effectively manage the Shea parklands.
These efforts are part of the USAID funded sustainable Shea initiative which aims to improve women’s market access and profitability.
“We are elated to join the GSA and we stand by our goal of promoting the sustainability of the Shea sector through the empowerment of women collectors, parkland conservation and seedling planting.
“This project encompasses the sensitive areas that need attention and we are very pleased to work with GSA to impact, positively and in the long term, the Shea industry and its beneficiaries,” the Head of sustainability at TGI, Osenaga Umobuarie, said.
Also commenting, the president of GSA, Simballa Sylla, said, “We’re very pleased to see industry leaders take action and invest in sustainability.
“This partnership will not only contribute to the development of the Nigeria Shea sector but also to the achievement of the GSA’s 2020-2025 strategic objectives – to expand local value addition by 50 per cent and empower over 500,000 women and improve community resilience. We truly look forward to an impactful partnership with TGI.”
Dipo Olowookere 
Adedapo Adesanya