From hands to machines: How shea mechanization has transformed women’s lives in northern Ghana
Introducing tricycles, dehusking machines, and protective equipment to women’s shea cooperatives cut processing time from days to minutes and eased transport burdens, an IFPRI study shows.
- Markets
- value chains
- gender
- Markets
- agricultural production
By Futoshi Yamauchi, Bedru Balana, Hazel Malapit, Eduardo Maruyama, Doreen Kufoalor, Sena Amewu, Seth Asante, and Samson DejeneOctober 14, 2026
Key takeaways
- Introducing tricycles, dehusking machines, and protective equipment to women’s shea cooperatives cut processing time from days to minutes and eased transport burdens, an IFPRI study shows.
- Women gained time and improved well-being. Less physical strain and faster processing freed up time for farming, family responsibilities, and community activities.
- New income opportunities emerged. Women used saved time to expand shea collection, start small businesses, increase farm work, and boost earnings.
In northern Ghana, shea trees—locally known as “women’s gold”—have anchored rural livelihoods for generations. The tree’s oil-rich nuts are an important export and domestic crop, used for food and in products including cosmetics. Across Africa, an estimated 16 million women depend on the shea tree for income; in Ghana’s northern regions alone, roughly half a million are engaged in the sector—for many, it is the primary source of income.