The Co-founder, Shea Integrated Global Foundation (SIGF), Priscilla Nwosu, has said the shea market creates opportunities for women to thrive.
Nwosu stated this at a briefing on the Conservation and Livelihood Improvement of Women Through Shea Tree Value-Chain Development Project.
Nwosu said the vision of the project is to support women who have no access to proper markets or knowledge on how to leverage the abundant natural resources available such as Shea.
According to her, the project aims to conserve at least 10 kilometres of wild parkland at Arikiya in Nasarawa State to create a sustainable model for environmental conservation.
While noting that the 12-month project which is expected to end in October 2023, she said the aim is to create sustainable communities by creating market access and linkages.
She said the project’s aim is not just to empower women in shea butter production to improve their livelihood, but also to conserve the environment where the trees are planted.
The goal, she added, is to create sustainable livelihood for 200 women within the project through sales of shea kernels and butter.
“The project will train women in 10 months on shea processing to global standards and establish parameters for carbon sequestration within 12 months of project commencement,” she said.
Also, the National Coordinator for the Global Environmental Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF/SGP), Ibironke Olubamise, noted that the project will ensure continual Shea production and engender investment.
Olubamise stated that the GEF/SGP, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is interested in the project because it will create a sustainable model for environmental conservation.
She added that the UNDP is interested because environmental issues are a global problem that need to be tackled.
-Thenation
