January 2006

Engineering for sustainable development in Ghana with EWB

When Kathryn Galvin, a new engineering graduate from Hamilton, Ontario, first learned that she had been selected by Engineers Without Borders to volunteer in Ghana for a year, she would have never guessed that her focus would be on the production of shea butter, a Ghanaian export and a key ingredient in North American cosmetic products. One need only look so far as their local pharmacy to see shelves lined with products containing shea butter, the extracted oil of central and western Africa’s shea nut.

Increased demand for shea butter has had many benefits for Ghanaians, namely as an important income generator for the rural women who process the nut. Yet despite the benefits reaped by those involved in the labour intensive process, increased production has come at a heavy environmental cost for many communities. Kathryn worked with local producers and organizations to improve production practices to not only reduce the consequential environmental degradation, but also to benefit the local environment.

To extract shea oil from the nut, the material must be kneaded until the fat forms the emulsion used for the shea butter. The remaining material is formed into patties and discarded. The waste product, typically disposed of in piles near or next to where the women perform the labour intensive task, is high in tannins and as a result, kills a vast majority of the vegetation in close proximity.

Not only does this have a large environmental cost, but also it threatens the very existence of the industry as western consumers and companies may eventually boycott products containing shea butter if practices are not improved - a boycott that would most acutely hurt the industry’s most vulnerable: the female producers.

But this does not need to be the case. Kathryn investigated alternative options for managing the waste product in such a way that benefits both communities and producers. Specifically Kathryn found that the waste product high in tannins can have multiple uses as a deterrent against termites, as compost, or, if mulched, to improve the growth of seedlings. Thus what was once a hindrance has now become an asset.

In working with producers and local organizations, Kathryn helped people understand the economic and environmental benefits of altering their production practices which in the long-run can help produce great results.

OSPE is proud to support the work of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) as its charity of choice. EWB is a registered Canadian charity that helps people in developing communities gain access to basic engineering technologies that can reduce poverty, hunger and disease. Visit EWB’s website at www.ewb.ca to learn more or to make a donation.