3. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
INTRODUCTION
The aim of IGO is to concentrate the shea butter industry in West Africa. We would
therefore build three shea butter plants in Togo, Ghana and Guinea Conakry and an open
sales offices in Europe, Asia and America to have a good contact with our customers.
Currently, 80% of the shea nuts are exported to Europe and Asia and with the shea nuts
there are more working opportunities in West Africa. The shea butter industry is now
dominated by multinationals from Europe and Asia, which they also determine the price.
They give alms to the collectors of the shea nuts. The women of the Shea areas collect the
Shea nuts in poor conditions. They sell the Shea nuts to middle men. The middle men pay
a bad price or they do not pay at all. The middle men then sell the Shea nuts to big traders.
They sell the Shea nuts to the chocolate and the cosmetic industries. Everyone makes
money except the women who collect the shea nuts and this is what IGO wants to change.
If we want to deliver the Africans a better future there must be industry where they can
digest their raw materials. Africa is rich in resources. In this way, we create more
employment opportunities for the local population.
Shea Nuts
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Shea Nuts
4. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
COLLECT THE SHEA NUTS FOR IGO
Collect the shea nuts is an important component for the production of a high grade
quality of shea butter.
IGO wants to collect her shea nuts in collaboration with women residing in the
surrounding villages in the shea areas. These women go to collect the shea nuts for IGO.
Therefore we set up a co-operative for these women. In the board, we have seats
representatives of IGO and representatives of the women. Any woman who wants to join
the cooperative will sign a contract specifying her rights and obligations. The cooperative
collect only shea nuts for IGO. The shea nuts are collected each year in the period from late
May to late August. The women start daily from 6 am to collect the shea nuts.
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5. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
OUR STEPS IN PLANNING
1. Collect the Shea nuts
2. Gathering wood to make fire.
3. Roast of the Shea nuts.
4. Take off the cover.
5. Drying the shea nuts in the sun. When it rains we bring the shea nuts to a dry a
place and then switch back to the place to dry.
6. Remove the bad shea nuts.
7. The bags filled with shea nuts and then tying the bags.
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Removing of shea nuts cover
Women removing
the bad shea nuts
6. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
The table below shows the number of m / t of Shea Nuts IGO needs each year on the
planned production of shea butter.
YEAR SHEA NUTS
M / T
NUMBER OF WOMEN
EMPLOYED PER YEAR
SHEA BUTTER
M / T
1 40,000 20,000 18,000
2 40,000 20,000 18,000
3 44,000 22,000 20,000
4 48,000 24,000 22,000
5 55,000 27,000 35,000
6 66,000 33,000 30,000
7 77,000 38,500 35,000
8 88,000 44,000 40,000
9 99,000 49,500 45,000
10 110,000 55,000 50,000
One woman can collect on average 25 kg of Shea nuts per day.
When we go out of 80 days in the period that the Shea nuts are collected, one woman can
collect in these 80 days an average of 2,000 kg.
The first year IGO needs 40,000 m/t. Therefore 40,000m/t = 40,000,000 k/g.
2000 k /g × 20,000 women = 40,000,000 kg
So for the collection of 40,000 m / t shea nuts, IGO needs 20,000 women.
It is important to note that IGO has plans to build three Shea butter plants in West
Africa, so in the future we need 165,000 women to collect the shea nuts.
NUMBER OF WOMEN NEEDED
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7. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
TRAINING
IGO wants in collaboration with the NGO's or other social originations to train the
women to collect the shea nuts in an efficient way. We have discussions about this
among others with the German organizations, GIZ and ADRA.
SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES
In the future, IGO will invest a part of the profit in each year to support the villages in the
shea areas as:
• Laying of passable roads and then asphalt.
• Construction of water wells for water.
• Electricity
• Public toilets.
• Sponsoring of local events.
• Organizing sports activities
• Improving the existing schools.
• Other activities.
Women with the shea nuts
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8. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
SHEA AREAS
The Shea areas are currently only accessible by foot. IGO will care for the transport
of the shea nuts to the field storage locations, provision of shoes and baskets for the
women.
In Togo IGO will build 15 field storage sites with a place to dry the shea nuts from
10am to 10pm and at each warehouse a water well for water.
At each store we will build a house for a guard and his family consisting of two
bedrooms, living room, kitchen and shower / toilet, mobile, First Aid, and among
others to care for the snake bites of the women.
A creche for the babies to allow the women not to carry the babies on their back
during their work.
A shelter for the cooperative where women can discuss their daily problems
mutually.
COMPENSATION
There will be compensation for the women working for the cooperatives. IGO will pay
the women a fair price for their work.
JOB CREATION
The Shea butter plant will provide 200 to 300 jobs in Togo and in the future more.
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9. IGO collects the Shea Nuts
TRAINING INSTITUTE AT KARA FOR THE STAFF
In the future, we will set up a training institute at Kara in association with the Executive
Boards of the continued education in Kara and neighbourhood.
We will choose the candidates who will work in the future for IGO Production Togo SarI
after they have completed their training successfully.
They will get a qualification into the IGO training institute at Kara and they will obtain a
job at IGO.
We will consider if the training will be good for the production and technical staff.
TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE MIDDLE AND HIGHER
MANAGEMENT
We will go in association with the Executive Boards of the continued education at
Kara and neighbourhood.
The candidates that will be chosen in the future will hold middle and higher
management functions at IGO.
The selected candidates will follow university training in the Netherlands and will
follow a training period for example at Unilever, Loders Croklaan, Duyvis/Wiener
etc. and afterwards they will work for IGO.
WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY IN THE NETHERLANDS
We want in association with Duyvis/Wiener
and the University of Wageningen to develop
a super high grade quality of shea butter.
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