Supporting women entrepreneurs through value chain addition in Nigeria
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UN Women collaborates with several partners to implement the project 'Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment Through Climate-Resilient Agribusiness in Nigeria' in Ebonyi and Niger states. These partners include the Standard Bank Group, as Stanbic IBTC, FAO, UNIDO and International Labour Organization (ILO), the Governments of Ebony and Niger States (through the respective ministries of agriculture and women affairs), the Niger State Commodity and Export Promotion Agency, the National Shea butter Producers Association, and Food For All International (FFAI).
Women cooperatives from three project local government areas (LGAs) including women entrepreneurs working on shea butter agri-business associations selected to benefit from project interventions in Niger State. UN Women collaborated with Government counterparts and the state chapter of the National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN) in Niger state trained about 200 women in cooperatives and entrepreneurs on product re-branding, product certification and catalogue for international markets. This has increased beneficiary’s product's value, demand, and sale on the shea butter value chain.
Rabya, a graduate resorted to set up her own business after her search for employment was futile. Her company Teerab specializes in making body balms, hair creams and oils, organic shampoo, and body soaps.
She narrated at her booth during the 3- day Nigeria National Shea Exhibition in October 2021, 'With my bachelors' degree, I knew I could start my own venture to support my family. I came for training for 6 weeks for certification in Value chain addition. 'I have attended workshops and seminars organized by UN Women that have improved my knowledge on value addition to Shea. I also use my time researching organic products, marketing, packaging'.
She urged women to keep improving themselves through continuous learning.
200 women entrepreneurs from 6 cooperatives in Niger State were trained on improved skills and technologies for processing various shea butter products including high-quality soaps and other varieties of cosmetics, and on enhanced branding of products to meet both the local and international markets standards.
Aunty J used to sell raw shea butter and is one of the 200 women entrepreneurs trained on shea butter processing into different cosmetic products.
'I used to sell raw Shea Butter, then I improved to start processing the shea butter into cream, bar soap, oil, shampoo among other products. Since my eight years of doing business, the training provided by UN Women was one of the best for my enterprise. We are looking forward to receiving the machines that will assist with processing and linkage to more markets. I am thankful as this business has helped me support my husband and family.'
Through the interventions of the project support, the Niger and Ebonyi States governments reviewed their agricultural policies from a gender perspective, which has created the enabling environment for women's access to lands and other productive agricultural resources in the two states.
"Contributing to the Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa through Climate Smart Agriculture” is a multi-country initiative of UN Women, which is funded by Standard Bank Group. It is implemented by UN Women and seeks to close the gender gap in agricultural productivity and incomes by increasing access to productive resources and markets for 17 women smallholder farmers organizations and agribusiness groups engaged in the rice and shea nuts value chains.
The project activities are implemented in Niger and Ebonyi States, where women dominate the shea nuts, and rice value chains, respectively; and it supports 12,500 rural women as direct beneficiaries of the interventions.