Stories by John Oba
Abuja
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, has expressed optimism over the potential of the Shea Butter Village project in reducing poverty among Nigerian women.
Osinbajo said this in her speech at the opening ceremony of a 2-day Shea Sector Conference, with the theme, ‘Shea Sector Development in Nigeria-A Concerted Renaissance’, adding that the project will add value to the processing of Shea Butter and income of women in the industry.
She said:
“I believe the Shea Butter industry would be able to achieve and eradicate extreme hunger, universal primary education, promote gender equality, and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, and other diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development.
“The Shea Butter Village project was conceptualized and designed to highly refine pure organic product as backward integration initiative for the local and foreign cosmetics industry.
“Starting with the project will be predominantly female from the community. Capacity building will be achieved through skill acquisition and competence, improvement will go a long way to reduce poverty and hunger, empower women, and put the local community on the global cosmetic industry map.
“The Shea Butter industry becomes a reference point for Nigerian women and this we look forward to.”
The Vice President’s wife who also declared the conference open commended of one the Shea development partners and Chief Executive Officer, Shea Origin, Mrs. Mobola Sagoe, for her effort to revolutionise the Shea industry in Nigeria by repositioning it.
“At this point I must commend Mrs. Mobola Sagoe, who indeed has her heart for the work. She joined the Shea industry but she has chosen not to join and continue how it has been but to improve it. From her project in Shaki it is clear that she has a heart for the women.”
Meanwhile, Sagoe, said the workshop was convened to put together structures that will enable the harnessing of the full potential of Shea, and now it has become a global demand for various cosmetic products.
“In this workshop we are putting structures for women to make the product economically viable for export. The American government is supporting us with finance.
“The federal and state governments where Shea products are to empower the women, and for them to know the economic value of Shea, and which the product is taking the place of oil in terms of revenue generation.
“And it can turn around the economy of the country now that oil is falling and failing us as a nation”, she said.
