The Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI) has trained women and youth in selected communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana in soap and pomade production. The training, which took place in Gaare in the Talensi District and Pintensah in the Builsa South District, aimed to create alternative livelihood opportunities and promote sustainable use of natural resources. The project, known as "Sahelian Landscape: Landscape of Opportunities: Widening Proven Furrows (LOGMe II)," seeks to equip community groups with skills to produce liquid and solid soap as well as pomade using shea butter for the local market.
The training, conducted over two days each, attracted more than 420 women and youth. Dr Iddrisu Yahaya, the Principal Investigator of the LOGMe II project and Principal Research Scientist at CSIR-SARI, said the intervention was introduced as part of efforts to provide alternative livelihoods for communities and reduce pressure on restored landscapes. The initiative built on the experience of LOGMe I, during which a similar activity was undertaken at Awaradone in the Talensi District, where it attracted considerable interest from community members.
The LOGMe II project is being implemented in five Sahelian countries, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, and Senegal. In Ghana, the project is being implemented in partnership with CSIR-SARI, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 15 communities across four districts. The project seeks to improve livelihoods by combining environmental restoration with entrepreneurship and positioning farmers and community members to participate more profitably in agricultural value chains.
Dr Yahaya said five communities were expected to benefit from the livelihood intervention, including Gaare in the Talensi District and Pintensah in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region, as well as Pieng in the Sissala East Municipality, Doggoh and Dazugri in the Jirapa Municipality in the Upper West Region. The training provided hands-on experience in the production process, and equipment used for the training has been handed over to the beneficiary women’s groups.
The equipment, including soap moulding machines, hydrometers, and safety goggles, would enable the women’s groups to operate the activity as a business and produce soap for the market. Dr Yahaya said the project would encourage Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in the communities to adopt soap production as an income-generating activity to strengthen their financial inclusion and livelihood strategies.
The soap and pomade production form part of the project’s value-chain activities, with shea serving as one of the key raw materials for the products. Providing alternative livelihoods is important to discourage community members from depending on activities such as charcoal production and the cutting of trees for household use and income generation, as well as help add value to shea resources.
The LOGMe II project, which builds on the achievements of LOGMe I, is funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security through the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Global Mechanism. The three-year project aims to improve livelihoods and promote sustainable use of natural resources in the Sahelian region.
Key points
- The CSIR-SARI training aims to create alternative livelihood opportunities and promote sustainable use of natural resources.
- The project seeks to equip community groups with skills to produce liquid and solid soap as well as pomade using shea butter for the local market.
- The LOGMe II project is being implemented in five Sahelian countries, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, and Senegal.
