Mrs Grace Coker, Manager of Soap Farmer Limited, has announced that her company is organising the 2nd natural Soap and Cosmetic Fair, to promote the products made with extracts from Allanblackia Pods and other natural ingredients.

She said the two- day fair which would be held at the Aviation Social Centre on November 28 and November 29, aims at making use of local ingredients in the natural soap and cosmetic industry with emphasis on allanblackia and its uses.

Allanblackia is a solid edible vegetable butter extracted from seeds. The fruit which is popularly known in the Ghanaian local language as ‘Okusie Adwe’ thus Rat’s nut yield 50 per cent f oil and due to its high stearic acid content, it quickly solidifies into butter.

Mrs Coker, who made this known in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said Allanblackia is made from the cocoa tree and is therefore mostly found at cocoa growing areas.

She said research had proven that body creams made from the Allanblackia fruit is very healthy for the skin and that is why the company has decided to take steps to prevent foreigners from exporting the fruits to the detriment of Ghanaians.

She noted that the fruit is used to make body creams which would soften rough skins, bathing soap, lip gloss, candles, ice cream, yoghurt, and in all kinds of food preparation.

She said adding of a little butter from the fruit to a food being cooked prevents the meal from getting stuck in the cooking pot due to its fat free nature.

Mr Francis Vorgbe, Event Manager of the institution, said the fair aims to bring together all natural soap making bodies in order to have common voice to fight for their rights and needs whenever necessary.

He also said that they also hope to partner certified institutions like Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) in order to meet their standards.

He said the fair also hopes to come out with the best practices of making natural cosmetics and how to identify a common way of accessing machinery to be up to the task in terms of natural soap making.

Mr Vorgbe noted that the fair is organised by Soap Farmer Limited in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and sponsored by SECO, a Swiss based organisation.

He said the fair would attract representatives from Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, GSA, and the Swiss Embassy.

He urged the public to attend the fair to be educated on the usefulness of the Allanblackia fruit and how to use it for other basic needs.