Maiden world shea expo to be launched in Tamale Wednesday
The maiden edition of the World Shea Expo 2024, will be launched in Tamale, the Northern regional capital, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
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Participants in the event are expected to be actors in the shea value chain such as women pickers, farmers, processors, researchers, aggregators, various associations, women groups and financial institutions.
The launch, which will be performed by the wife of the Vice-President, Samira Bawumia, is aimed at promoting and creating both local and international markets for the commodity.
It is being jointly organised by the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and the Savannah Golden Tree Ltd, on the theme: “Shea sustainability expo; Nurturing growth, empowering communities”.
Other partners are the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), COCOBOD, Eximbank, Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), Intentional Labour Organisation (ILO) and the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The main expo is scheduled to take place at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale from July 23 to 25, 2024. It is expected to be graced by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Boosting sector
The Executive Director of the World Shea Expo 2024, Chief Adams Tampuri, in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Tamale yesterday, said the event promised to be a groundbreaking one and would create a platform to showcase innovation, collaboration and networking among actors in the shea value chain.
He said it would also promote and highlight the contribution of shea as the main source of income to many rural women in the Savannah Ecological Zone, while creating market linkages to boost the production and processing of the commodity.
hief Tampuri also said that it would recognise the efforts and contributions of women, youth and small to medium enterprises who dedicated their time to picking about 40 per cent of nuts in the bush annually, and showcase extensive research works that institutions such as the Cocoa Research Institute at Bole had undertaken to reduce the gestation period of the shea tree.
“This landmark event, co-organised by Savannah Golden Tree Limited, marks a pivotal moment in the global shea industry, bringing together esteemed partners and stakeholders committed to advancing shea sustainability and empowering communities across Africa and beyond,” Chief Tampuri said.
He said selected products from the expo would be showcased in North America through the Canada Africa Trade and Innovation Expo 2024 in Ontario, Canada, from September 6 to 7, this year, and would be bolstered through the support of the World Superfoods Expo.
The executive director thanked the NRCC and all partners for supporting the initiative.
Laudable initiative
For his part, the Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu, described the expo as a novelty event that would bring various stakeholders and international business entities to Tamale.
He said the initiative would help to boost the potential of the shea industry and create sustainable livelihoods, particularly for women in the region and beyond, adding that it would also recognise shea farmers and their invaluable contributions to the global market.
While appealing to various corporate institutions and development partners to support the intervention, he reiterated his outfit’s commitment to ensuring the success of the programme.
Spearheaded by Savannah Golden Tree Ltd, the annual event aims at highlighting the country’s pivotal role in the global shea industry and the significant contributions of the over one million stakeholders within the shea value chain.
Established in 2018, the Savannah Golden Tree Ltd seeks to promote the shea product and create both local and international market for businesses, as well as showcase the nation’s shea nut industry to countries such as the US, China, Japan and the UAE.
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