SNV in action starting with the production, has instead identified a retail partner in the US that offers market linkages and market access and created direct contacts between the US consumer market and the women’s cooperatives in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana. The benefits for both parties are obvious. Selected cooperatives (chosen according to economic and social need, and the potential impact on vulnerable communities) receive capacity support and are guaranteed a good, fair price by dealing directly with the retailer, while the retailer has an assurance of a set quantity of grade A quality shea butter. SNV’s 10 years of experience working with cooperative value chain development in West Africa acts as an assurance to both investors and the retail partner. But this is not just a production and procurement agreement. The cooperatives are set to actually gain shares of the US production and distribution company, giving the women joint ownership of a high-level processing, packaging and distribution operation. Such shareholder ownership diversifies the women’s earnings, ensuring an income year round – not just in shea season – so that they can invest in other industries during the rest of the year. The programme is at an exciting stage, with cooperative shea butter set to hit US shelves any day now but, ultimately, success will be judged according to increased productivity, job creation and increased incomes in rural western Africa. However, the wider reach of such programmes should not be overlooked either. The shea butter cooperatives increase knowledge and scale up capacity to create livelihoods that are profitable but, just as importantly, resilient. More than just shea producers, these rural women are becoming the leaders, trainers and capacity developers of the future. • Enabling ethical investment Combining financial return and social benefits, impact investing is a new approach to reconciling markets and development, connecting capital to areas and enterprises where growth can truly change lives. Since 2012, SNV’s Impact Investment Advisory Service (IIAS) has been working to facilitate investment in West Africa’s shea sector, providing local producers with access to markets and funding while building businesses’ investment readiness. By providing direct linkages between local producers and international buyers we enable the development of suitable products based on market feedback, combining this with export financing and customised training and coaching to build internationally viable businesses at the bottom of the pyramid. Beyond shea, SNV IIAS works in value chains across the Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene sectors in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where we have facilitated close to $100 million in ethical investments to date. For more on SNV’s Impact Investment Advisory Services, visit www.snvworld.org/IIAS. 24 CONNECT #2 JULY 2013 Pagina 23
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