The Global Shea Alliance (GSA) has announced July as the Shea Month dedicated to protecting shea parklands. The Shea Month aims to create awareness on the need to grow more trees to safeguard parklands and promote industry sustainability.

GSA has identified declining shea tree population – estimated at around 8 million per year. This is a major threat to the industry sustainability, community livelihoods, as well as the fight against climate change. The Shea Month will reinforce GSA’s effort to catalyze industry efforts to restore and preserve shea parklands through the Action for Shea Parklands – an initiative to grow 10 million trees and protect 4 million hectares of shea parklands over the next 10 years.

Since 2020, GSA members, partners, and industry stakeholders have planted more than 110,000 trees in shea communities in West Africa. Communities have also been trained on parklands protection guidelines, community by-laws on tree protection, and campaigns.

Shea trees play a significant role for people and the environment. The trees provide an opportunity to support and preserve the livelihood of rural African women through sustainable trade. The GSA President, Mr Simballa Sylla encouraged all actors in the shea value chain to partake in the Action for Shea Parklands.

“I encourage shea actors to grow shea trees in support of the Action for Shea Parklands. As the GSA continues to grow more trees and protect parklands, we call on all stakeholders to contribute by implementing activities directly in their supply chain or providing funding for the GSA to facilitate these activities.”

Each year, the GSA and partners come together to address the issues of parkland degradation.

This year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, members are executing commitments to grow more shea trees and create awareness on the need to promote, plant, and protect shea trees. The Shea Month will witness cross-regional activities including tree planting, community training, rallies, and social media campaigns in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Mali, and Ghana. Members in all the countries will observe Shea Day celebrations on July 16th, 2021

In Ghana, the GSA and partners will undertake a commemorative event to mark Shea Day. It is expected that participants will undertake a tree-planting exercise planned for the ceremony.

The GSA will also support the Green Ghana Project as preparatory activities towards Shea Day.