Shea, often called “women’s gold,” has long been a lifeline for thousands of rural women across northern Ghana. Yet, beyond its use in traditional cooking and cosmetics, shea is fast becoming one of Ghana’s most promising exports — prized globally for its natural, ethical, and traceable value. At the heart of this transformation are companies like AAK, rethinking how the shea trade can empower communities, protect ecosystems, and still thrive commercially.
A product of a Swedish-Danish merger between Aarhus United and Karlshamn AB, AAK is a company with a rich 150-year history globally. The company specialises in plant-based oils and fats that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume, with focus on chocolates and confectionery. In West Africa, AAK operates primarily in the shea value chain.
The mission is simple: to ‘Make Better Happen‘, not only through sustainable, plant-based oil solutions, but also by improving the lives of the communities they operate in, most notably through Kolo Nafaso, its direct shea sourcing program and the largest of its kind.
We interviewed with Jakob Nybroe, the Head of Sustainability at AAK West Africa, to discuss the company’s sustainability vision, its work with women collectors, and its long-term strategy to build a resilient and inclusive shea sector.
Could you start by telling us about AAK’s journey in the shea industry so far? How did the company become one of the leading players in the global shea sector?
The history of AAK and shea goes way back. The first shea actually arrived at our plant in Denmark in the 1920s, so we’re looking at 100 years of history. However, it wasn’t until much later that the use of shea started becoming more widespread and the industry started growing with commercial interest. AAK’s role in this has always been one of value addition. Over the last many decades, we have been successful at developing solutions that solve specific challenges that our customers face in their formulations, be it for food and confectionary or personal care products, and that in turn have contributed to the steady growth in demand for shea around the world.
Many companies today talk about focus on sustainability. Beyond the buzzword, what does sustainability mean to AAK in its operations, and what practical steps is AAK taking to ensure the shea supply chain is sustainable, climate-resilient and transparent?
Our sustainability strategy at AAK centers on better sourcing, better operations, and better solutions, ensuring that sustainability is embedded across our entire value chain. What makes AAK’s approach truly meaningful is our focus on impact. We constantly ask: What is the true and actual impact that a given initiative will have? This question guides us when addressing specific challenges or risks within our supply chain. If we don’t have a good answer, we go back to the drawing board and come up with a better solution, even if the first option is easier and might look good in a brochure.
The best example of that is our direct sourcing program, Kolo Nafaso. It is a very large program, where we source directly from over 230,000 women currently are enrolled in the program. Most of our 200 employees in Ghana are here because we firmly believe that direct sourcing is the best way to drive impact. It is complex, resource-intensive, and often challenging, however since we started the program in Burkina Faso in 2009, it has proven the best way to truly drive impact in a supply chain, secure true transparency and traceability, address socio-economic challenges, and drive women empowerment. Importantly, having our own feet on the ground enables us to better understand and address risks, also beyond the shea supply chain.
Shea is often referred to as the “women’s gold.” How integral are women collectors to AAK’s operations, and what specific initiatives does AAK have to support them?
The women who collect the shea mean the world to us – without them, there would be no shea industry, Supporting them commercially is therefore crucial. Our direct sourcing program is based on several principles and enablers, which include interest-free pre-financing, where we provide the women with an income before the shea collection starts, and at a time where they have little or no other sources of income. We also provide a guaranteed sales outlet – ensuring they can sell to us, and will always have a buyer. We also provide the logistics by distributing the bags needed for storing and transport, and our fleet of trucks come to the villages so that the women don’t have to walk to market or anywhere else to sell their kernels.
We have a very extensive training program, where we not only train on quality and more efficient processing methods, but also address health and safety, and throughout the years we have helped the women construct thousands of improved cook stoves. We have also established Village Saving and Loan Associations, that further build financial resilience that is so crucial for making a true socio-economic impact. Importantly we often do this in direct partnership with our customers, which brings them closer to the origin of the products that they buy, increases their understanding and helps drive how they prioritize their own sustainability efforts.
Looking ahead 10–20 years, what’s your vision for the future of the shea industry in West Africa?
The global demand for shea has increased steadily over the years, resulting in higher prices that benefit women collectors. We want and expect this trend to continue, with greater focus on fair trade, solidifying the efforts of direct sourcing programs such as Kolo Nafaso. We also see a push for more local value addition through more industrial processing in countries across the region, which AAK is committed to supporting.
However, there are some dark clouds on the horizon – biodiversity across the region is deteriorating at an alarming rate. This threatens the shea trees, their flowering and regeneration, ultimately negatively impacting farmers’ yields, their incomes, and food production. AAK’s primary efforts has been to replant shea trees – by 2025 we have planted more than 150,000 trees across the landscapes in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Benin – supplemented by parkland management trainings for our Kolo Nafaso members. However, shea trees are only one part of the equation. All stakeholders in the sector have a role to play and need to work together to find solutions that secure a thriving and sustainable landscape.
As global consumers increasingly demand ethical and traceable ingredients, Ghana’s shea industry sits at a crossroads – one that requires balancing commercial ambition with long-term environmental and social responsibility. Companies like AAK are showing that sustainability is critical to strengthening Ghana’s global competitiveness while empowering local communities.
To find out more about AAK and their operations in Ghana and in West Africa, please visit www.aak.com or follow on LinkedIn at AAK West Africa.
