1.1 Consultative Regional Workshop

From 6 – 8 October 2004, ICRAF hosted a Consultative Regional Workshop in order to build a regional consensus on key technical issues of shea product quality, and establish a basis upon which a regional product certification system may be established. The workshop provided a framework through which the concerns and requirements of the industrial end-users of shea products may be internalized, and effective and concerted action taken at the regional level for the benefit of the shea producing countries, and the shea sector as a whole.

The consultative regional workshop addressed key topics of project focus, in order that common issues, concerns and technical constraints may be identified, prioritized and targeted for resolution. Discussion and adoption of common parameters and techniques of analysis, product grades and standards was undertaken in support of the regional product certification system to be established through the project.

In summary, the consultative regional workshop was a means of:
• Inventory and consolidation of regional experience in order to more effectively (and efficiently) focus project resources on key issues which have not already been addressed by any regional / national program;
• Identifying key regional institutions to engage in collaboration, exchange of technical and commercial information on shea products;
• Identifying key issues common to the producing countries, and
• Developing a framework for establishment of a credible and effective product certification program, including harmonized and consistent parameters, analytical methods and methodologies.

The objectives of the workshop were as follows:
Objective 1: To develop a harmonized set of product quality parameters, standards and analytical methods

Objective 2: To develop a coherent and concerted regional action plan to address product quality constraints, with consistency over time
Objective 3: To establish a regional consensus on the basic principles and design of a practical, credible and durable/sustainable Product Quality Monitoring Certification System

The specific parameters of shea product quality were addressed in the course of the workshop, including both the processing methods which affect product quality as well as the analytical laboratory methods by which product quality is determined.

A set of harmonized norms and standards for product quality by specific product application will be proposed by workshop participants over the coming months, and a regional action plan developed during the workshop will be elaborated and formalized toward establishment of a formal product certification system for shea products, consistent throughout the Africa region and internationally.

1.2 Workshop Implementation, Participation and Representation

Despite immense logistical challenges, the workshop was successfully and effectively implemented, without any significant problems or interruptions.

An important indicator of participant interest is the fact that the number of participants was not reduced over the three days of plenary sessions and discussions.

Participants at the workshop included representatives of national institutions concerned with product quality and commerce, including National Applied Research Institutes (NARS Institutions), National Standards Boards,
Ministries of Industry, and Chambers of Commerce.

A total of sixteen countries were represented at the workshop, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and Uganda. In addition to the representatives of technical institutions and government bodies, practitioners drawn from national marketing associations (of producers), national and international industry also participated.

One of the more encouraging aspects of workshop participation was the active presence of 15 individuals from 8 countries (in addition to the 25 from Mali) whose participation and travel costs were met by themselves or their respective institutions.

This list of self-sponsored participants included: one program officer from UNIDO (Austria); two senior staff from ICRAF (Kenya); a university researcher from the USA; two government representatives from Nigeria, and one from Guinea; and eight private sector representatives, including four from Ghana, two from Nigeria, and one from Benin.

1.3 Workshop Results

The workshop consisted of a series of technical presentations on specific aspects of focus, followed by extensive and conclusive discussions during which regional consensus will be sought.

The expected outputs of the workshop included development of a harmonized set of product quality parameters, norms and standards and analytical methods, and a clear set of practical steps to be taken by each country in order to establish a regionally-consistent and internationally-credible system for the certification of shea products, i.e. shea kernel and shea butter.

However, this process may be said to have been initiated by and during the workshop; these objectives can only be developed over time and through extensive collaboration between the various national and regional stakeholders brought together through the workshop, with the active involvement of private sector and international industry.

This process, formally and effectively begun under the auspices of the Consultative Regional Workshop, is ongoing.

Consultative Regional Workshop On Shea Product Quality and Product Certification System Design

06 - 08 October 2004

Palais des Congrès

Bamako, Mali

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