Communique from the Ghana Shea Network 

COMMUNIQUE: 3RD NATIONAL SHEA MULTI-STAKEHOLDER FORUM, BOLGA

The Shea Network Ghana, which comprises  representatives of shea producers, private sector, civil society, the media and government departments and agencies held its 3rd  National Multi-stakeholder Forum on Shea in Ghana, from the 29th to 30th of September 2011. The forum was held under the theme: “Sustaining the Shea Industry: The need for a clear policy”. The aim this year was to ensure that industry players agree on a clear way forward regarding the process to ensure a more responsive approach to policy development for the shea sector. The forum was attended by about 150 participants.

The shea sector holds enormous opportunities for the development of Northern Ghana, especially economic empowerment of women. An estimated 900,000 women in Northern Ghana are involved in the collection, processing and trade in shea nuts and butter. The shea trade has been estimated to gross about $33 million annually and contributes significantly to household incomes.

Participants at the forum hereby present this communiqué to the government and the good people of Ghana consequential to the presentations and discussions at this forum.

We recognise with appreciation the reawakened interest and commitment, in recent times, from the Government of Ghana in developing the Shea Subsector which has manifested in the creation of a Shea Unit under COCOBOD. We also note, with appreciation, the appointment of a substantive Shea Director and the establishment of a National Steering Committee on shea with the oversight responsibility of shaping the direction of the shea industry to enhance its growth;

Acknowledging that, Government has the mandate in developing appropriate policies, institutions and mechanisms for natural resources governance, including shea, and worried about the apparent non existence of clear policy framework and the appropriate institutional mechanisms for the development of the sub-sector ;

While we acknowledge that the Government of Ghana has appreciable commitment in revamping the shea sub-sector, and also government is aware of the role of all stakeholders in the sub-sector and expect their immense support to the development of the Shea subsector;

We do hereby bring to the Government’s attention, the following concerns and recommendations from the 3rd National Shea Multi-stakeholder Forum

1. Although a shea policy exists, it is our view that it is inadequate for the reason that it is subsumed under the COCOBOD Law and is operationally crowded out by Cocoa. We therefore recommend that Government should formulate appropriate policies and laws to support the generation and distribution of revenue from the exportation and marketing of shea products. A policy that will engender a private sector/CSO-led actions facilitated by government which should  envision sustained growth and equitable benefits within the value chain;

2. Following from the above, we wish to echo the consistent call by Stakeholders for a separate independent Board for Shea, a well resourced and legally empowered Statutory Body that will provide leadership and direction to the Shea subsector. To ensure the functionality of the established Shea Board, the legal instrument establishing the board should make provision for annual budgetary allocation for the Shea subsector and the board as well.

3. The conservation of the Shea trees is paramount to the sustainability of the shea subsector. The indiscriminate felling of the shea tree is unacceptable and a recipe for the extinction of the shea resource. We therefore recommend for the enforcement of all National, Local, Indigenous Environmental regulations that are tailored toward the protection of the environment. In this endeavour, traditional authorities and the people should be involved and motivated to enhance ownership and sustainability of the processes. The motivation could be in the form awarding/rewarding local initiatives in conserving the parklands.

4. Furthermore, to promote the sustainability of the Shea resource, we recommend the establishment of a strong National Research Programme which should be linked to Regional Research Systems to undertake research   towards developing the shea tree to achieve, especially a shorter gestation and improved productivity. Government should allocate at least one percent of GDP to research in Shea. The programme should create a link between the research institutions and shea producers/farmers so that the findings do not go to waste on the shelves. This calls for a strong partnership between the ministry of agriculture and CSOs to ensure that research outputs are disseminated adequately; 

5. We recommend that Government, as part of promoting local content policy, should emphasize the use of Shea and Shea products in local cosmetic, beverage/confectionary, pharmaceutical and hospitality industries. We also call for the change in the negative attitude of domestic consumers toward the consumption local goods including shea products. Increased domestic demand for Shea products is a catalyst to the growth, development and sustainability  of the shea industry;

6. Last but not the least, having recognised that  existing support for media engagement in support of the Shea subsector is woefully inadequate, participants call on the media to prioritise Shea issues, and go beyond news coverage, to include direct media support and investment in media research and investigations on Shea subsector issues, production of documentaries and specialised programs for the electronic and print media;

We the participants of the 3rd  National Shea Multi-stakeholder Forum have resolved to use this annual platform to coordinate our activities and to harmonise our perspectives on the Shea value chain and related subsector issues and to constructively engage with Government and other stakeholders for the development of the Shea subsector;

We also resolve to support all genuine attempts by the state and the private sector towards the development of the Shea sector for the betterment of all Ghanaian people, especially the poor women who are at the heart of the industry.

The Shea Network Ghana