”Faites du beurre de karité des plaquettes de beurre pour la cuisine’’; according to the Minister of the Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change, Simeon Sawadogo, who represented the President of the Republic of Faso at the 2nd edition of the International Shea Fair in Ouagadougou (SIKO) combined with the National Shea Conference (CNK). The event took place from 7 at 9 October 2021 in the SIAO premises in Ouagadougou, in the presence of nearly 400 shea industry players.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director General of the AGK, Aaron Adu, requested a partnership with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Environment, of the Green Economy and Climate Change as well as the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Crafts to implement innovative actions to support stakeholders, based on 3 important pillars of the five-year strategic plan of the Global Shea Alliance, namely sustainability, promotion and quality. He pointed out that : “The Ouagadougou International Shea Fair and the National Shea Conference are in line with the vision and aspirations of the actors of the shea sector in Burkina Faso, and fits with the current interventions of our Common Alliance”. He took the opportunity to highlight some key results from the Regional Support Program for the Commercial and Inclusive Development of Shea (PRADCIFK), a regional initiative, financed by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (CIR) and implemented in close collaboration with the CIR Implementation Units in four countries, namely : The Benin, the Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo. These include the results of the provision of 36 warehouses for women collectors and processors in beneficiary countries, dont 13 warehouses for the benefit of Burkina Faso. More than 17 000 women trained in cooperative development and business management in the four countries, and 79 cooperatives including 20 in Burkina Faso saw their capacity strengthened through training on soap formulation.
The SIKO and the CNK are organized by the Table Filière Shea (TFK) in collaboration with the Global Shea Alliance (AGK) and the National Enhanced Integrated Framework Implementation Unit in Burkina Faso (UNMO-CIR). The theme of the event: “Processing shea products, one of the main levers for job creation and the fight against poverty among women and young people in the context of Covid-19”, has had various panel sessions on various topics, namely : the state of play, the challenges and prospects for the development of the shea sector in Burkina Faso ; the shea industry and job creation opportunities for youth and women ; sector financing and financial products adapted to the challenges of competitiveness ; the environment and the protection of the shea resource and the empowerment of women. Besides this, an exhibition of SMEs to promote shea products, B2B sessions and a training series on shea butter export requirements, almonds and cosmetic products from West Africa to growth markets in Asia (Japan, China, South Korea) and in Africa (South Africa, Angola, Kenya).
D. TOLOMISSI