Growing up in the Upper West Region of Ghana, the country’s poorest region, Mawuse Christina Gyisun and the rural farmers in her community experienced abject poverty. Like every other child in her region, she took on meagre jobs that required her to mingle with the local farmers in the market to support her family. Getting close to women farmers while selling at the Wa Central market, Gyisun understood local farmers’ challenges.
She was astounded at how women producing shea put so much effort into their production and sales yet made very little income after all their hard work. She watched them struggle to access fair markets and sustainable financing, limiting their earning capacity.
This discovery was disheartening for Mawuse, and the imbalance didn’t sit well with her. So, she decided to change it. Christina Gyisun co-founded Sommalife to create a better and more sustainable agricultural experience for these women.
Sommalife, an agric tech startup, was born when Christina Gyisun recognised the incredible potential hidden within the shea value chain. The shea tree, often called “women’s gold” in her region, produces nuts harvested and processed into shea butter.
According to Custom Market Insights (CMI), the global shea butter market was estimated at $2.5 billion in 2021 and was predicted to reach $2.8 billion in 2022. It is expected to reach around $5.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of roughly 8% between 2022 and 2030.
Founded in 2020, Sommalife uses software technology to create a transparent and traceable system in the shea value chain while ensuring that female shea producers in West Africa receive fair compensation for their labour through financing, market access, and agroforestry. The innovative co-founder and her team have provided these women with the resources, training, and market linkages the farmers needed while conserving the environment. The company also provides financing options so women involved in shea production can invest in and scale their businesses. It gives them access to loans to invest in better equipment, improve production, and increase their bargaining power in the market. With this, women farmers in northern Ghana who once earned marginal incomes are now running sustainable businesses.
“Before Sommalife came to our community, we lost interest in producing Shea nuts and butter. We suffered to get buyers and we had to carry them a long distance to the local market. Now Sommalife trains us to produce, they come here to buy from us, and we are earning more money to support our children.” –Fati Daribile Jambosi, Ghanaian shea farmer.
In 4 years, Sommalife has raised 100,000+ seedlings and protected over 1,500+ acres of shea parklands in the Upper West Region. It has also provided 22% additional income for local producers, connected 15,000+ women to markets and onboarded 110,000+ farmers.
They have aligned themselves with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 1, 5, 8, 10, and 13, dedicating their resources to upholding their beliefs in no poverty, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, and climate action.
Christina Gyisun’s work has received several accolades, including the African Women in Agribusiness Award, the Young Agripreneur of the Year Award, the top 3 Youth Ecopreneurs by the International Trade Center, and the Top 10 Africa’s Business Heroes 2023.
She has also been recognised by the German Agency for Business and Economic Development, the French Development Agency, Deutsche Welle, and the US Vice President, Kamala Harris. Her impact on the shea value chain promotes a sustainable environment and empowers thousands of rural women who have long been the backbone of the shea trade. Christina Gyisun has increased local producers’ income and safeguarded West Africa’s natural resources.
