Polish aid

Implementing entity:

Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Dakar

Co-financing:

PLN 32,487

 

 

The initiative was aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in the Kédougou region by increasing manufacturing productivity in the processing of shea butter. The Koba Club Economic Interest Group from the Kédougou region on behalf of which the project was carried out is a cooperative of women involved in processing agricultural and forest products, such as hibiscus, honey, baobab and tamarind fruit and shea butter. Processing shea tree fruits is one of the main forms of earning income in the region, and is mainly carried out by women. The traditional method they use is long and arduous – 100 kg of fruits can be turned into 20 kg of almonds, which in turn result in 4 kg of shea butter. This requires almost 30 man-hours (excluding the time necessary to gather fruit). A single worker’s production efficiency is usually less than 20 kg per season and does not cover the demand. Thanks to mechanizing production by using a press to process shea tree fruit, the processing time was cut by 80% and the cooperative is now able to obtain 400 kg of almonds per day. Increased production capacity is also beneficial for those who gather the fruit, which is now in greater demand. A larger supply of shea butter also brings benefits to intermediaries who deal in products obtained on its basis.