President of the Bounkani Cooperative Society of Shea Butter Producers and second vice-president of the Côte d’Ivoire shea trade association, Lydie Rachel Kambou is a key player in the industry. She created Malika, her own brand, and is above all a relentless advocate for the cause of women shea workers in rural areas.
By Issiaka N’Guessan in Abidjan
« It is a sector that has given meaning to my life. I have been deeply involved since 2008, because I understood, from the age of 14, that it is a sector with huge potential. Lydie Kambou has been marked by the sad day when she lost her father as a teenager. Having been orphaned too early with 30 brothers and sisters, she had to make important choices very quickly. To be self-empowered.
Though the trained seamstress quickly detects the potential of this tree, she immediately notices the sector’s shortcomings.
« Unfortunately, 98% of women in the shea sector in Côte d’Ivoire are illiterate. So, I quickly figured out their difficulties in succeeding in the sector, » says Lydie Rachel.
Today, Côte d’Ivoire ranks fifth in the world with an estimated 300,000 tons of shea kernels per year. « Because not everything is collected. However, we can reach 500,000 tons if everything was processed.
From the collection of kernels to the processing of by-products, Lydie Kambou, a native of the largest region of Côte d’Ivoire, Bounkani (capital of the region, Bouna, northeast of Abidjan) has made it her hobbyhorse. Her dream? « To make Côte d’Ivoire the main destination for shea butter in Africa and in the world, » full of gratitude to the « traditional chiefs [who] have taken the decision for decades not to cut down the trees. »
12,000 women work in this sector in eight regions from the Northeast to the Northwest
A beautiful woman, with her glasses, one would think she was a teacher. But to hear her speak, one thinks above all of an advocate for the cause of women. « The shea industry is a typically female field of activity and we can succeed in achieving financial empowerment. 12,000 women work in this industry in eight regions from the North-East to the North-West, » says the woman who is also president of the « Alliance des Femmes Entrepreneurs et Solidaire » of Côte d’Ivoire.
For this to happen, many challenges must be met to enable rural women to make a decent living from their work. « The women have a certain age, it is necessary to renew the workforce and use the latest equipment. She argues that this « equipment will help us to be economically strong ».
These old women « are bare hands, without boots, without gloves. They face all dangers to come out with this gold »
Shea is a wild tree that grows in the savannah region. You have to wait for the fruits to fall before you can collect them. This is not an easy task for the women. « I see them die every year because they are stung by snakes and scorpions during collection. And even raped in the bush because they have to travel miles to get healthy fruit, » says Lydie Kambou. For the collection, these old women « are bare hands, without boots, without gloves. They face all dangers to get out with this gold, then go back, break wood, cook the kernels, return to produce butter … It is painful.
The work of Lydie Kambou has been recognized by the Ivorian government on October 15, 2022, by UN-Women, and internationally, « for the certification of organic shea butter. And it’s because I held on. I believed in my ability to succeed. » If she looks back on her career, it is to give inspiration to young girls who have dropped out of school and have no reference point. « I have a very painful thought about the schooling of young girls in Africa, because there is no real political will to support these children. She notes that « many future female leaders remain on the margins, due to lack of family support.
« She is a brave woman, she hardly gives up, despite her financial difficulties »
Gisèle Kiali, who used to be an attiéké seller, changed her status overnight to become an entrepreneur. « It is thanks to her. Before I was selling in an old-fashioned way. She is a brave woman; she hardly gives up despite her financial difficulties. »
Lydie Kambou plans to continue her « advocacy with the government to move to the practical phase of the Project of Competitive Value Chains for Jobs and Economic Transformation (PCCET), which will help us achieve results, amid huge needs and expectations. She gives the shea industry five years to become a pillar of the Ivorian economy.
All the work and passion of Lydie Kambou have not ceased to be emulated.
