Shea Butter and ICT - Mali

In this project shea butter of the Zantiébougou Women Shea Butter Producers Cooperative (CORPROZAKAN) is promoted by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). A group of 15 women are trained in the use of computers and computers with an internet connection are installed. Furthermore the women are trained in how to make a digital database, a website is created and advertisements are being broadcasted on radio and television. Approximately 350 women benefit from this project. In order to supply the computers with electricity, solar energy units are installed.

The Kari & TIC project generates income for poor farmers and empowers women.

Read more about IICD’s Mali Country Programme.

In January 2007, the project was officially launched in Zantiébougou. At the end of 2007, a group of 12 women was directly interacting with the ICT services of the project. From this group it is expected that not all of them will be able to continue as some are not picking things up as quickly as the others or due to family responsibilities or other reasons. The project team prefers to work with a relatively small group of women who can really learn and apply the ICT skills, instead of focusing on a large group of women who will only start to understand some of the basics, without being able to apply it. The women scanned a number of pictures on the “good and bad practices” of producing shea. They made a powerpoint presentation about this and showed it to shea producers in surrounding villages as an example how to improve their shea business.

Bookkeeping is now computerised: most of the trained women now know how to use Excel.
The COPROKAZAN website is online.

Another result is that the general income of COPROKAZAN in 2007 raised from 16.000.000 FCFA (2006) to 21.000.000 FCFA (2007). A further rise to 35.000.000 FCFA is expected in 2008. The organisation sees a clear relationship between the project and the improved sales figures.

An extension proposal has been granted in order to help Coprokazan to further consolidate its results. During this consolidation phase it will further improve the ICT capacities of approximately 20 users, the database will be upgraded and the web site will become more dynamic.

•  To identify and compile a directory of shea butter buyers
• To computerise COPROKAZAN's accounting system
• To inform the public about the virtues of shea butter
• To increase awareness of COPROKAZAN
• To win over new customers for shea butter
• To disseminate information on COPROKAZAN products with an eye to increasing sales 
•  To step up communication between COPROKAZAN and the Malian Association for the Promotion of Youth (AMPJ)

While the project Kari&TIC only started full implementation at the beginning of 2007, the organisation is already widely known within the region due to the existence of a number of facilities that are very scarce in this region such as electricity, internet connection and computers.

This led to an unforeseen impact on the community and the surrounding villages. Organisations, people and even local decision-makers are willing to travel sometimes more than 30 km to make use of the project services, like the computer to type documents, photocopy, and print documents. The training room and computers are also used for all kinds of trainings carried out by different organisations. Whereas in the evening pupils come to do their homework in the surroundings of the building, as this is one of the very few places in the village that has electric light.

Read more about IICD's approach towards Livelihoods.

• Acknowledge the fact that many women only master local languages. Using adapted keyboards in order to allow the women to type in their local language greatly enhanced participation.
• Multimedia tools can help overcome illiteracy barriers. Women who barely can read and write can still learn to master digital cameras and create image-oriented narrations.
• Solar power can supply sufficient electricity for 2-3 computers on a daily basis, as well as for lighting during the evening, but risks to fall short when the users become more demanding.  

This project arose out of the partnership formed between the Malian Association for the Promotion of Youth (AMPJ) and COPROKAZAN to seek solutions to the problems of marketing shea butter. It was an initiative taken by these two organisations to facilitate sales of shea butter at the national, regional and international levels. It makes a real contribution to economic, social and political development, as its end purpose is to develop the market for COPROKAZAN’s shea butter and, in so doing, to improve the living conditions of its members.