The Paramount Queenmother of the Sing Traditional Area and Ambassador for the Shea Park Resource Hub Project, Pognaa Salma Chaana Abdul-Razak, has concluded an extensive sensitisation and stakeholder engagement tour across all 11 districts of the Upper West Region aimed at promoting environmental conservation and strengthening the economic livelihoods of women in the shea value chain.
The five-day tour, held from May 17 to May 21, 2026, was executed by Green Gold Savannah, the implementing partner for the Ambassador's project team, as part of efforts to build grassroots support for the Shea Park Resource Hub Project. The initiative sought to educate communities on the importance of protecting shea trees and other economically valuable plant species while encouraging the enforcement of local bylaws against indiscriminate tree felling, particularly for charcoal production.
Throughout the exercise, the delegation visited 17 communities and directly engaged more than 2,000 women shea pickers, alongside traditional authorities, opinion leaders and other stakeholders.
A key feature of the tour was a series of community dialogues that provided women with an opportunity to discuss practical alternatives to charcoal production, which remains one of the leading causes of shea tree destruction in the region. The women reaffirmed their commitment to preserving the shea ecosystem but stressed that sustainable environmental conservation must be supported by viable economic opportunities.
Among the major interventions proposed by the communities were the construction of small irrigation dams to support year-round farming, vocational training in soap making, weaving and hairdressing, and the provision of modern shea butter processing equipment . They also appealed for tricycles to facilitate the transportation of harvested shea nuts, personal protective equipment to reduce occupational hazards encountered during harvesting, and improved access to reliable markets for processed shea butter.
Additionally, participants called for affordable financing through low-interest loan schemes to enable women to expand their businesses and reduce dependence on activities that threaten the shea ecosystem.
Project coordinators described the regional engagement as a significant milestone in fostering community ownership of the Shea Park Resource Hub Project and strengthening collaboration between traditional authorities, local communities and development partners.
Traditional leaders and women groups expressed appreciation to the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament and President of the Republic of Ghana for supporting the establishment of the Shea Park Resource Hub Project, describing it as a transformative initiative capable of creating sustainable economic opportunities while protecting one of northern Ghana's most valuable natural resources.
According to the project team, insights and recommendations gathered during the tour will inform the next phase of implementation, ensuring that community priorities remain central to the project's rollout.
The Shea Park Resource Hub Project is expected to enhance environmental protection, promote sustainable livelihoods and strengthen the shea value chain across northern Ghana through community-led interventions and strategic partnerships.
