Unlike many other sectors in Africa, the production of shea butter in many West African countries is fully owned by women.

This week, Spark Africa is in Mali. Halfway between the capital Bamako and the second city Sikasso, Coprokazan is a cooperative set up by two women. The cooperative has 256 members who collect and process the karite nuts into shea butter.

Among its many benefits, Shea butter nourishes the skin and makes it soft. It also protects the skin against cold and UV rays and soothes eczema and burns. In Mali, the butter is used mainly by women. In the West it is proving to becoming growingly popular in cosmetics.

The Karite trees grow only in the Sahel region in Africa. They grow in the wild and it takes 15 years before they start producing the first nuts.