GSA’s Sustainable Shea Initiative extended

The Global Shea Alliance has been granted a three-year project extension by USAID to further its core mandate of sustainability and industry promotion, through the implementation of multi-stakeholder activities.

The extension, with additional funding of over US$2 million, was based on increased private sector interest for the program and the opportunity to reach additional women shea collectors, facilitate trade and market linkages for shea stakeholders.

Since its inception in 2016, SSI has been instrumental in integrating women collectors and processors into the global market system, establishing more sustainable supply networks, building the technical capacity of GSA members through the dissemination of best practices and facilitating market linkages.

Partners have donated 264 warehouses; trained 213,656 women collectors; provided technical assistance to2,795 organizations; established 3,939 market linkages; and facilitated trade of 529,772MT of shea, equivalent to over US$311 million.

While the extension will continue to award sub-grants for capacity building of 69,000 women shea collectors across seven producing countries, it will also support 180 existing shea cooperatives to become self-reliant and promote parkland restoration efforts in the seven countries.

Additionally, the extension will accelerate GSA’s goal of expanding the utilization of shea in the food and cosmetic sectors through conferences, policy analyses, dissemination and partnership building.

As stated by the President of the GSA, Simballa Sylla, “this extension is not only an indication for the Alliance through all its members to keep delivering results for the growth of the industry.

It also demonstrates the power of collaboration and multistakeholder engagement. I am confident that the targets set in this partnership will move us even further to creating the industry of the next decade.”

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