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WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT CASE STUDY
BURKINA FASO - WEST AFRICA
"WOMEN'S GOLD" - SHEA
BUTTER FROM BURKINA FASO
Burkina Faso is a land-locked West
African country. It is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world.
Women constitute 52% of the
population of about 10 million. More than 75% of adults are illiterate; and of
these, 80% are rural women.
Women constitute the majority of the
poor people, and are constrained by laws and social discrimination that prevent
them from owning property, borrowing money, or gaining access to land and
natural resources.
Agriculture is the main
activity.....
This Case Study has examined how
rural women mobilised to establish a women's shea butter sector enterprise in
Burkina Faso. By adding value through processing of shea nuts into shea butter,
women are directly reaping the benefits of their labour. The enterprise is
creating jobs and providing extra income to the women.
Shea is one of the few economic
commodities in the region that is entirely under the control of women. In some
cases, men take over control of enterprises when they become profitable.
However, this has not occurred in the shea sector; and women continue to
control the entire process; and the benefits accdrue directly to them.
The government's commitment to
promoting women's economic empowerment was instrumental in the revitalisation
of the shea nut sector and the improved well-being of many burkinabe women.
This case study shows that with the
right government commitment and political will, appropriate support to women's
organisations from the government and donor agencies, the availability of
appropriate technology, access to credit, and access to expanding markets, the
women's enterprise has become an overall success. It also gives an insight into
how linking women producers to global markets strengthened women's economic
security and empowered them.
The women are empowered at different
levels. The enterprise has enabled them to improve their living standards,
increased the country's foreign earnings, and contributed to the growth of the
country's economy.....
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