{"id":599098,"date":"2019-03-14T17:33:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T17:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan led a ribbon cutting and inaugurated a shea butter processing facility that will support increased economic opportunities for 600\u00a0women who collect and process shea nuts. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States supports key projects like this to promote economic growth and job creation in Ghana so that young people may build a future of prosperity here at home for the benefit of all citizens and their communities,\u201d said Ambassador Sullivan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supported the construction of the processing facility and warehouse located in Gizaa-Gunda, northern Ghana. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Shea is a primary source of livelihood for women in northern Ghana, and is one of the few agricultural crops where women control the revenue.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This event highlights efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment through partnerships that connect Ghanaian women producers with U.S. buyers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The partnership to develop the shea butter\u00a0processing facility and warehouse was catalyzed by USAID<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Global Shea Alliance (GSA) and included partnerships with<\/span>\u00a0a U.S. cosmetics company, a local buying company (Savanna Fruits Compan<\/span>y), Presbyterian Agricultural Services (PAS), and the local communit<\/span>y as part of the\u00a0Sustainable Shea Initiative (SSI) project. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The SSI was launched in 2016 by USAID in pa<\/span>rtnership with the GSA.\u00a0It is an $18 million, five-year partnership to promote the sustainable expansion of the shea industry in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Burkina Faso.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The partnership matches USAID funds with private sector and donor funds to provide needed skills training and infrastructure to support women shea collectors.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Gizaa-Gunda facility is one of 34 warehouses that USAID and GSA have launched with communities and cooperatives in Ghana over the past three years; expanding opportunities for 30,000 women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, SSI is expected to deliver 250 warehouses across West Africa, facilitating more than $150 million in shea exports and benefitting more than 137,000 women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The United States looks forward to finding more opportunities over the next year to partner with companies, communities, and non-profits to drive new opportunities for Ghanaians and promote a path to self-reliance and resilience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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