Uganda Enhances Shea Butter Value with Time-Saving Tech

Summary:

• Ugandan farmers, like Ojok Okello, are benefiting from a new technology that streamlines shea butter production, improving efficiency, quality, and market potential. Developed by researchers, the process separates shea butter into multiple products, offering opportunities for both local and international markets. Despite its high cost, the technology promises to boost production and empower rural communities.

---

For Ojok Okello, a shea nut farmer from northern Uganda, turning his harvest into marketable shea butter was once a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. The process could take over ten hours, requiring multiple workers to process just one kilogram of shea butter, a valuable product used in cosmetics and cooking.

Traditionally, Okello and other farmers would use charcoal or firewood, which are not environmentally friendly, to boil, sun-dry, and grind the shea kernels to extract the butter. Additionally, they would spend around Sh6000 ($1.6) per kilogram at the milling sites, adding extra costs to an already difficult process.

But a breakthrough technology developed by Ugandan researchers is now transforming shea butter production. This innovative process, which efficiently separates different components of the fatty substance, is helping farmers like Okello produce higher-quality shea butter while saving time and energy.

Okello explains that the strong natural odor of traditional shea butter often deterred customers, especially those unfamiliar with it. He appreciates the new technology, which improves the product’s quality and opens up opportunities for export markets.

The new technology, led by Francis Omujal, a senior researcher at Uganda’s Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute, aims to turn shea butter into a more profitable and sustainable industry. The machine used in this technology, funded by a $25,000 grant from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, uses a process called fractionation. This method separates fats into solid and liquid components, making it possible to produce a variety of products, including cooking oil, hair oils, mosquito repellents, and cosmetics.

The process begins by heating the shea butter to melt it, then cooling it slowly to allow the separation of components. This technology, powered by either gas or electricity, is much more efficient than traditional methods, which are often inefficient and produce low-quality yields. According to the 2024 Uganda Shea Market Study, Uganda’s share of the global shea trade is currently less than 1%, with poor infrastructure and limited market access also hindering trade potential.

Omujal believes the new technology could increase production by 300% and cut energy use by 40%. It has no waste, as the solid component becomes butter and the liquid component turns into oil. The resulting products are of high quality and suitable for global markets.

Shea butter production provides income for thousands of women in rural Uganda and South Sudan, who control around 70% of the trade. However, most of these women still use traditional methods, leading to low yields and subpar quality. Sarah Kitakule, chairperson of the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL), believes that the fractionation technology could revolutionize production, packaging, branding, and export standards for shea butter.

Omujal envisions that the technology will enable the creation of a wider range of products, expanding both local and international markets. He explains that traditionally, Ugandan shea butter production focused on domestic use as an edible oil, but the new technology will add value, creating a broader market for the product and empowering local communities.

However, the cost of implementing this technology is still a barrier for many farmers, with each machine priced at $10,000. To scale up, more financial support is needed to help farmers access the technology. John Walugembe, executive director of Uganda’s Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, stresses that expanding access to both the machines and reliable electricity in rural areas could greatly improve the livelihoods of shea butter producers.

“We need to ensure that these machines reach shea butter communities, and the government should work to provide electricity to these areas,” says Walugembe. This eco-friendly technology, he adds, could transform the industry if given the proper support.