Frank Ekow Arkorful comes from Ghana.
Growing up in the slums, Frank’s teenage dream was to become a gang leader. But observing the hard work of his mother to save her three boys from becoming criminals, he became a women’s activist. Frank is interested using the Shea butter production, a sector mainly occupied by more than 900,000 women farmers in Rural Ghana to empower women.
These women farmers contribute significantly to the sustenance and development of their homes and the country, however, they do not receive the recognition or remuneration they deserve, as they face poverty and exploitation by middlemen. With his social enterprise, “Fair Shea”, Frank wants to make a drastic change. He wants to see a Ghana that is famous for shea being fairly traded, organically grown, and environmentally sustainable.
SHEA BUTTER, A CATAPULT TO EQUALITY
I grew up in a slum neighbourhood in Tamale, Northern Ghana, that is noted for high rates of crime, drug abuse, prostitution and violence against children and women. It was, and still is an indispensable and dark side of the city, which neither I nor anyone else can boast about. Sadly enough, most of the dwellings are unfit for human habitation. Dirty stagnant water, clogged drains, narrow lanes, cramped houses, heaps of garbage and a strong stench is what you face when visiting the place.
A minute would not go by without hearing the sirens of police cars entering the community to make an arrest, or loud shouts of people trying to lynch a thief or stop a bloody fight. Almost every household had at least one relative either in jail or undergoing rehabilitation. People, especially youth, who had had experience in jail took pride in it because, to them, it demonstrated a sense of courage or resilience. Many youths, including myself, wanted to experience this. It was the surest way to make yourself popular.
My only dream while living in the slum was to grow up to become a gang leader. My dream was, however, met with strong opposition as my mother ensured that my life should not be influenced negatively. She always kept her eyes on me to keep me from falling into the wrong company or association. I was inspired by seeing her, like many other women, wake up in the early hours of the day to tidy up the house, prepare us for school, go to the farm, later go and sell the produce in the market, and then return to make sure we were back from school and doing well—and all of this in a well-coordinated way. All I saw of the men and husbands were lackadaisical lifestyles: daily gathering under trees, making noise while gambling, stealing, getting jailed, drinking, fighting over women and money, and abusing their wives and children. My father was no exception, as he was hardly seen at home. Many times, we left for school before he woke up and went to sleep before he returned.
I witnessed my mother getting physically assaulted on many occasions because she opposed my father’s request to quit her job as a teacher and stay home. He wanted to be the sole breadwinner of the family, which boosted his ego. Just paying our school fees and putting food on the table seemed to be enough to achieve this aim of his. It limited our opportunities to afford demands from school, such as purchasing textbooks, extra sessions, and class excursions.
To try and cater for our school needs, my brothers and I supported our mother in selling snacks after school. During school holidays, just like many children and their mothers, we were engaged in picking shea nuts from shea tree plantations and selling them to middlemen. Back then, we had no idea of the real value these nuts had. All we did was gather as many fruits as possible, eat the edible part, and leave the hard kernel, which we played with before selling.
In 2002, I made it out of the slums and moved to the city to further my education with the hope of returning home one day. Upon seeing all the opportunities available, like good health facilities, well equipped classrooms, clean drinking water, reliable power supply, job opportunities for both men and women, talent hunts and NGO’s offering platforms for ambitious youth, and youth making positive impacts in many ways, I developed a mindset shift which led me to a new dream. That one-time dream of becoming a notorious gang leader had now changed to taking the lead impacting communities, and the world, positively. I was motivated to take advantage of the opportunities I had by studying harder.
After my final examinations school, I worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and then in pharmaceutical companies before moving into seismic exploration.
In 2017, while on a seismic data acquisition project as a Human Resource Officer in Bawku, a town in the Upper East region, I noticed something unique: practically every shop had something related to ‘shea’ displayed in photos, signboards, or on buildings. Even more fascinating was how shea butter was elegantly presented and offered as gifts to visitors. Upon further enquiry, I got to know the many health, nutritional and cosmetic benefits it possessed, and how generations have proudly held on to its existence and prominence. It also served as the main source of livelihood to many people, especially women, who owned the sector.
During one of my interviews as a Human Resources officer on a seismic project, I met Wilhemina, who was being interviewed for a laundry job. She recounted her personal life stories, which included losing her mother at the age of 15. Before then, life had been comfortable for her and her five siblings. Her mother had been into shea butter making, a skill that is often passed on from generation to generation, so she took over the business. However, she then was forced into early marriage. Things did not work out as expected because the man she thought would be her helper turned out to be abusive and was totally dependent on her for his survival. She recalled how, on two occasions, she was so badly beaten that she had to spend over 3 months in the hospital. She had 26 stitches on her face and abdomen, all because she had sent money to her siblings without his consent.
She got employed and was introduced to black soap, a product made of purely organic shea butter and a few other ingredients.
It was in high demand because of its positive effects on the skin as well as its affordability. The company management contracted her to supply her famous soap in bulk to over 400 workers. Through this, she was able to take good care of herself, her siblings and has also been able to enrol herself in a nursing school to pursue her dream of becoming a community health nurse.
There are many more women like Wilhemina and my mother who have bigger visions and aspirations. Yet the lack of opportunities through exploitation of middlemen stop them in the realization of their dreams. With time, my passion and interest in community development projects grew. I was inspired by repeated encounters with determined and hardworking youth and women in rural communities who lacked opportunities to flourish and achieve their dreams.
In September 2020, after 7 active years, I decided to quit formal work. I wish to dedicate my entire life to running women-centred initiatives by using the shea fruit, which is a common and popular commodity in the Savannah belt, to help many ambitious rural women realizing their dreams. Additionally, I want to see a Ghana that is famous for shea being traded fairly, organically grown, and environmentally sustainable.
NOTE THE DATES: on the 17th and 18th of December 2021: Frank as well as 15 other kantharis will share their story and solutions with the public during kanthari TALKS.
More details about this event that will be live-streamed can be found on http://www.kantharitalks.org/
