Women in the shea value chain have been urged to develop a Ugandan brand to have an edge over their competitors.
The call was made on Friday, May 24, 2024, by Sarah Kitakule, the Chairperson of Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited, during a round-table dialogue of women entrepreneurs in the Oilseeds sector held at UWEAL offices in Lugogo, Kampala.
Kitakule cited a case of young men in the Northern region who are cutting down shea trees for charcoal and in turn affecting the livelihood of the women who harness shea trees.
“So, it is important that they are actually involved. They need to know that the income women get from the shea is higher than the money they get from selling charcoal,” she stated.
“They are destroying the environment which will affect them in the long run. So, there is a need for awareness raising among the youth. Inclusivity is very important.”
She further urged women entrepreneurs to develop a Ugandan brand. “Many women have come up with many brands yet the products are the same. Why don’t you work together to improve your brands? I think we need to change our mindsets as women and work together.”
Rebecca Groot, Programme Manager at the Centre for the Promotion of Imports, said in Uganda, CBI is starting a programme on (organic) oilseeds, specifically sesame, chia and shea.
“The oilseeds sector is quite broad and that is why we started with a very wide angle engaging all market actors,” she explained.
CBI is a programme of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs which supports the transition towards inclusive and sustainable economies.
According to Groot, CBI supports SMEs to strengthen their economic, social and environmental sustainability, by helping them export products and services to Europe and regional markets.
According to her, the long-term sector vision is to ensure that the oilseed sector in Uganda is functioning in a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable manner, offering fair value distribution and opportunities for all stakeholders involved.
She, however, cited challenges related to sustainable production, especially climate change and the use of inputs but revealed a potential for Uganda to boost the production and trade of organic products.
On her part, CBI Director, Judith Arends, said that CBI aims to stimulate the potential of women throughout its activities.
“So, when we develop our programmes, we take a gender lens. We engage women entrepreneurs and producers, and create an enabling environment for women to do business.”
In Uganda, Arends said CBI is currently working on three projects.
“We work on climate-smart coffee, sustainable tourism and organic oilseeds,” she noted.
Noreen Kamoti from the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) said, in partnership with UWEAL, they have trained over 250 entrepreneurs countrywide out of which 10 women-led companies were selected to participate in trade fairs and get international buyers.
“We need to look at the capacity and competencies of these companies to be able to take on contract with their partners. We have also trained over 100 companies countrywide in export readiness and 10 of them were selected to participate in a food fair in Canada.”
She said, however, that production is not yet well coordinated.
“Buyers want a procurement plan for about one year but our companies find challenges to sustain the supply chain. Once the growers are motivated and have the market, then they can be able to collectively work together.”
Patricia Bageine Ejalu, Deputy Executive Director of Standards at Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), encouraged women to become conversant with standards so that they can trade successfully.
“We had to go through a whole process of reviewing the standards for shea butter for cosmetics use. Now certification is not a problem. This gives women access to the local market,” she remarked.
According to Bageine, UNBS has offered certification to over 25 shea butter companies so they can meet local standards and be able to export as well.
“I would like to encourage women to come together and start developing brands that compete favourably. Having many brands on the market confuses the consumers. When there are too many, they outcompete each other and the quality begins to go down. We have a wonderful shea product in this country, if you can come together, no one can defeat you.”
