Celebrating Mothers: Asana Seidu

Asana Seidu is a mother of four who works closely with other women in the Kperisi community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She is a shea butter producer and a member of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre cooperative.

In this video, Asana speaks about her life as a mother and how her work with other women helps support her family. She shares how income from shea butter production contributes to providing food, healthcare, and education for her children. Her story reflects the role that traditional work plays in sustaining families in her community.

Asana Seidu is one of the women whose work makes Baraka shea butter possible. Baraka sources shea butter directly through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region — a cooperative relationship maintained for over 15 years. Every batch is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction, and complete chain-of-custody documentation is available for any order. The women who produce this ingredient receive a fair-trade premium directly, without intermediaries.

To better understand the ingredient at the centre of this story, explore Shea Butter – The Ultimate DIY Ingredient and How Handmade Shea Butter is Made. For parents and those expecting, see Shea Butter During Pregnancy and Shea Butter for Babies.

Learn more about how these ingredients are made and the cooperative behind them by reading Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

FAQ

Who is Asana Seidu and what does she do?

Asana Seidu is a mother of four from the Kperisi community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She works as a shea butter producer and collaborates with other women in the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre cooperative. Her work contributes to her family's income and to the wider cooperative network. In the video, she shares how traditional shea butter production has supported her family's daily needs including food, healthcare, and her children's education.

Where does Asana Seidu work and what cooperative is she part of?

Asana works in the Kperisi community and is part of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. This cooperative brings women together to process shea butter using traditional, hand-based methods. Their work supports income generation and community development. The cooperative model ensures that producers receive fair payment directly, without intermediaries, and that traditional methods are maintained across generations.

What does Asana Seidu say about working with Baraka?

Asana speaks about how her work helps support her children's education and daily needs including food and healthcare. She highlights how the cooperative relationship allows her and other women to earn income while continuing traditional work. The connection to Baraka contributes to stability for her family and community, and her story reflects the real-life impact of this long-standing cooperative relationship on individual families in the Kperisi community.

Who makes Baraka shea butter?

Baraka shea butter is made by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. These women are part of a long-standing cooperative that has been working with Baraka for over 15 years. They harvest and process shea nuts using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction. Their work supports both their families and their local communities, and they receive a fair-trade premium directly with no intermediaries involved.

Is shea butter safe for babies and during pregnancy?

Yes, shea butter is commonly used on baby skin and during pregnancy. Baraka shea butter is pure and unrefined, produced without synthetic additives, fragrances, or chemical solvents at any stage of processing. It is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods, which means nothing is added and nothing artificial remains in the finished ingredient. As with any new skincare product, a patch test is recommended before first use. Those with high-risk pregnancies should consult a healthcare provider before introducing new topical ingredients.

About the Author
Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.