Global plant-based oils and fats company AAK has used the platform of West Africa’s premier shea industry gathering to call for deeper regional integration, warning that fragmented national systems are the single greatest obstacle to unlocking the sector’s economic potential.
The 18th Annual Conference of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), held in Accra from April 27 to 29 under the theme “Beyond Borders,” brought together Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang alongside diplomats, policymakers, industry executives, financiers and development partners from across West Africa and beyond.
In her opening address, Professor Opoku-Agyemang drew attention to a persistent structural inequality at the foundation of the shea economy, noting that women perform the heaviest labour across the value chain yet receive the smallest share of its rewards. She said closing that gap is not simply a fairness issue but a prerequisite for long-term sector productivity and sustainability.
AAK, which has operated in the West African shea industry since 1958, contributed to high-level sessions covering global market trends, supply chain traceability and the long-term competitive outlook for shea within the broader oils and fats industry. The company argued that the region’s future competitiveness hinges on moving away from fragmented, country-by-country systems toward a single, cross-border value chain architecture.
Participants at the conference echoed that position, identifying stronger intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework as the most credible pathway to scaling up local processing, retaining more value within the continent and improving competitiveness against emerging shea alternatives in global markets.
Lasse Skaksen, Vice President and Head of AAK West Africa, told delegates the fundamentals of the sector remain solid but that stability and policy alignment from governments are non-negotiable conditions for continued private sector investment.
“Private sector must continue to invest; Governments must continue to create a stable, predictable and enabling environment for investors,” Skaksen said.
AAK’s Kolo Nafaso programme, which works directly with over 275,000 women collectors across the West African shea belt, was highlighted as a concrete example of how sustained investment in the foundational layer of the supply chain can deliver results in responsible sourcing, capacity development and market access simultaneously.
The conference concluded with a joint call for accelerated collaboration between governments, private players and development partners to align policy frameworks and position West Africa as a globally competitive hub for value-added shea production rather than a supplier of unprocessed raw material.
