Ghana is a coastal West African country with a total area slightly smaller than the United Kingdom (ca. 240,000 km²), bounded on the north by Burkina Faso, on the west by Côte d'Ivoire, on the east by Togo and on the south by the Gulf of Guinea. Previously known as the Gold Coast (a name given by Portuguese explorers who first visited in 1471), Ghana was the first African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from British colonial rule on 6^th March 1957. The population of Ghana is currently estimated at about 20 million. Gross Domestic Product was estimated in 2000 as US$8.12 billion and the main exports are gold, cocoa, forest products and non-traditional exports, e.g. yams, sorghum, millet, coconut, groundnuts, coffee, tobacco, palm oil, pineapples, cotton and sheanuts.

Areas of Ghana, where shea trees are common, receive between 800 and 1200 mm of rainfall per annum and occur in the northeast two-thirds of the country where dry seasonal burning is common. The main stands (shea parklands) are found in the cultivated savannah regions of Ghana: Northern, Upper West and Upper East, although shea trees (and traditional utilisation) are also found in the drier areas of Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern and Volta regions.

Available figures demonstrate that Ghana, although not having the largest potential for production, is certainly the biggest exporter of home produced shea related products in the region. Since 1997, the Ghana Export Promotion Council has monitored annual exports of ranging between 32,000 and 45,000 MT of dry shea kernel mainly traded by Kassardjian and Olam for processing by either Aarhus United in Denmark, Karlsham in Sweden, Loders Crocklaan in Holland or Fuji Oils in Japan. This period has also shown a exponential increase in shea butter exports from virtually zero in the early nineties to over 2,500 MT by the end of 2002. Much of this increase in production can be linked to in-country mechanical processing for refining abroad, although women's groups are also known to process a significant proportion.

Depending on the process and kernel quality, wide ranges of yields from traditional extraction methods have been reported, with the highest extraction rates of 83 % (of available fat) obtained by Dagomba women near Tamale. Many attempts have been made to introduce semi-industrial methods for shea butter extraction (roasters, kneaders, efficient stoves, etc), because of the supposedly low yielding and resource intensive traditional processes. Unfortunately due to poor technology, unreliable harvests, poor communication and high start-up costs, many of these projects have not been successful. The most commonly utilised 'improved' technology is the plate-grinder, powered either by electricity or diesel engines, now seen throughout Northern Ghana and used for grinding every agricultural product imaginable.

Other developments include design of the 'sheanut press' by Dr P. Donkor in collaboration with University of Science and Technology (UST, Kumasi), Technoserve-Ghana and Natural Resources Institute, UK. Despite claims of the popularity of this machine, however, few women's groups use this press in West Africa due to low butter yields. A modified version of the Ghanaian design has proved popular in Uganda and Sudan where varieties produce oil with a lower melting point.

Recent research supported by Technoserve has demonstrated that the most important aspect of the shea butter process is the post-harvest processing stage and as quality is very dependant on the methods and time used to collect, boil and effectively dry the kernels. In the absence of high quality shea kernels all other improvements are purely labour saving devices and have little effect on marketability. Improvements to this stage should also encourage links between production, quality and market Ð a vital connection given the current fears for parkland sustainability; low quality of exported shea products and the wide separation between export and production markets (both in time and space!).

In Ghana, the mandate for research on this species is held by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) currently under the control of COCOBOD and has ongoing been ongoing since the early 1970s. This is mainly undertaken at a field station near Bole on the western edge of the Northern Region. Other national institutes that have been or are interested in being involved on research on shea, include the Food Research Institute (FRI), Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and The University of Development Studies (UDS).

A wide range of NGOs (both national and international) have shown much interest in promoting shea butter production and marketing in Ghana and support has ranged from linkages to markets, assistance with obtaining technology and training in business skills.

For further information a selection of active organisations and businesses are recommended below:

Research and NGOs

Julie Asantey-Dartey
ASNAPP - Ghana

Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG),
P.O. Box 8, Tafo, Akim, Ghana

EnterpriseWorks Worldwide -Ghana
225 Labone Estates, Accra
GHANA
Tel: +233-21-781090
www.enterpriseworks.org

Niels Fold Ph.D.
Institute of Geography
University of Copenhagen
Denmark

Stephanie Gallat
NRI

Peter Lovett Ph.D.
Independent consultant (specialising in shea parklands and processing systems)
P.O. Box TL 1448, Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana
Email: lovett@africaonline.com.gh

MAPRONET (Market Access Promotion Network)

Technoserve - Ghana
H/No. Z75 Volta Street, Airport Residential Area
P.O. Box 135, Accra, Ghana
Tel: +233 21 773875 / 773873
Fax: +233 21 772789
www.technoserve.org

Adam Yidana Ph.D.
University for Development Studies, Department of Agriculture,
P.O. Box 1882, Tamale, Ghana

Trade and Industry

Kassardjian Industries Limited,
PO Box 2246, Accra, Ghana

Olam (Ghana) Limited,
PO Box 1847, Accra, Ghana

Ghana discussion group