YOUR IMPACT: Abdul Rahma

Abdul Rahma is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Tabiasi community in Ghana's Upper West Region. A mother of four, she works closely with other women in the Tabiasi certified organic group — one of the producer groups connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work collecting and processing shea nuts is central to both her family's livelihood and her role within the cooperative.

In this video, Abdul Rahma speaks about two things Baraka brought to her community. First, Baraka helped the women understand the full range of benefits that shea nut picking can provide — something that wasn't widely understood before. Second, Baraka sends vehicles directly to the Tabiasi community to collect the shea butter and nuts, pays the women on the spot, and the income goes directly towards her children's schooling and other household needs.

Abdul Rahma 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.

Shea butter is made by hand through a process that is both labour-intensive and skill-intensive — cracking, grinding, boiling, and skimming the fat to produce a pure, unrefined butter. You can read more about how handmade shea butter is made, including what distinguishes it from industrially processed alternatives and why the hand method matters for quality and community impact. The Tabiasi group works within a certified organic system, meaning no pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals are used at any stage of harvest or processing.

Over 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women. Every purchase supports their ability to work with dignity, earn a fair income, and build futures for their families. To understand the full scope of this work, you can read Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, which details the cooperative's progress and the lives behind every batch.

You can also learn more through these related resources: the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, the fair trade story behind Baraka's ingredients, and ten reasons why handmade shea butter is worth choosing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Abdul Rahma and what does she do?

Abdul Rahma is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Tabiasi community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She is a mother of four and works closely with other women in the Tabiasi certified organic group, connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work spans both the collection of wild shea nuts and their hand-processing into shea butter using traditional methods.

What does Abdul Rahma say about working with Baraka?

Abdul Rahma speaks about two contributions Baraka has made to her community. First, Baraka helped the women understand the full scope of benefits that shea nut picking can provide — knowledge that wasn't widely available before. Second, Baraka sends vehicles directly to the Tabiasi community to purchase the nuts and shea butter on site. The income Abdul Rahma receives goes directly to her children's schooling and other household needs.

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. Women like Abdul Rahma hand-process shea nuts using traditional water-based methods passed down through generations — cracking, grinding, boiling, and skimming by hand, with zero chemical extraction. Baraka has maintained this direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. More than 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women.

What is the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre?

The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre is a women's cooperative in Ghana's Upper West Region through which Baraka sources its shea butter and other ingredients. It operates as a direct, fair-trade cooperative — producers receive a fair-trade premium without intermediaries. Baraka has worked directly with the centre for over 15 years. The cooperative connects multiple certified organic producer groups across the region, including the Tabiasi group that Abdul Rahma works with.

What does certified organic mean for Baraka shea butter?

For the Tabiasi group, certified organic means shea nuts are harvested and processed without pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, or solvents at any stage. The shea trees grow wild and are not cultivated, so the organic status reflects the harvesting and processing practices rather than controlled agriculture. Baraka's ingredients are produced without chemical extraction — hand-processed using traditional water-based methods — and chain-of-custody documentation is available for any order.

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.