YOUR IMPACT: Tanye Faamanso

Tanye Faamanso is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Murazu community in Ghana's Upper West Region. A mother of four, she works closely with other women in the Murazu 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 both her livelihood and her contribution to the wider cooperative.

In this video, Tanye speaks directly about what the Baraka relationship has meant for her community. She describes the support as genuinely useful — a presence in the community that has made a real and positive difference. Her words are straightforward and personal, reflecting what a long-term fair-trade partnership looks like from the perspective of the women doing the work.

Tanye Faamanso 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 has been central to traditional life in northern Ghana for generations. It is commonly used for dry skin and helps maintain moisture. It is also traditionally used as a base ingredient in natural skincare, and there are ten well-documented reasons why handmade shea butter is valued above industrially processed alternatives. The Murazu 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 how handmade shea butter is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Tanye Faamanso and what does she do?

Tanye Faamanso is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Murazu community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She is a mother of four and works closely with other women in the Murazu 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 processing into shea butter using traditional hand methods.

What does Tanye say about working with Baraka?

Tanye speaks about the value of Baraka's presence in her community. She describes what Baraka has brought as genuinely useful and the help provided as very good — a direct and personal reflection of what it means to have a long-term partner who engages with the community rather than purchasing through intermediaries. Her perspective represents the practical, lived experience of fair-trade partnership.

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 Tanye Faamanso 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 producer groups across the region, including the Murazu certified organic group that Tanye Faamanso works with.

What does certified organic mean for Baraka shea butter?

For the Murazu 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.