The second major shipment, produced by Okere Shea Cooperative Society, marks a significant increase from the 9 tonnes exported in 2025.
Okere City in Otuke District has flagged off a 40-foot container carrying 23 metric tonnes of premium Nilotica shea butter to the United States, marking the cooperative’s second major export to the international market.
The shipment, produced by Okere Shea Cooperative Society Limited, will be supplied to Forested and Bansk Beauty, two international partners supporting the market for Uganda’s Nilotica shea butter.
The latest consignment represents an increase of more than 155% from the 9 metric tonnes exported in 2025, highlighting the cooperative’s growing production capacity and efforts to position Northern Uganda’s shea industry in international markets.
According to the cooperative, about 1,000 rural women from Agago and Otuke districts collected and supplied approximately 50 metric tonnes of shea nuts, which were processed into the 23 metric tonnes of shea butter at its facility in Okere, Otuke District.
The initiative is intended to improve women’s incomes by connecting them to organised markets and adding value to shea nuts locally instead of selling them as raw materials.
For the participating women, the enterprise offers opportunities to meet household needs, educate their children, and improve their livelihoods through the commercial value of a natural resource found in Northern Uganda.
Overcoming rural production challenges
Okere City founder and chief executive officer Ojok Okello said the export demonstrated the potential of rural communities to produce goods that meet international market standards.
“This is not simply a container of shea butter leaving Northern Uganda for America. It is a container carrying the hard work, sacrifices, hopes and determination of 1,000 rural women,” Ojok said.
He added that the achievement reflected years of investment in processing equipment, farmer mobilisation, capacity building, quality assurance and the development of international market relationships.
Established in 2019, Okere City set out to demonstrate how rural communities could build sustainable enterprises and create economic opportunities through locally available resources.
However, the initiative has faced challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable financing, high production and transportation costs, unreliable electricity and stringent international quality requirements.
Despite the obstacles, the cooperative has continued to expand its operations, seeking to increase the economic returns rural women receive from shea production.
Adding value to Northern Uganda’s shea industry
Northern Uganda is home to the Nilotica shea tree, whose butter is valued in the cosmetics and skincare industries. For generations, however, much of the resource’s commercial potential has remained underdeveloped, with many rural collectors relying on the sale of raw shea nuts.
By processing the nuts locally, Okere Shea Cooperative aims to retain more value within the region, support employment and strengthen Northern Uganda’s participation in international supply chains.
The initiative also seeks to promote environmental conservation by encouraging communities to protect existing shea trees, plant seedlings and adopt sustainable harvesting practices.
Okere City has linked the enterprise to its broader community development agenda, which includes education, agriculture, healthcare, renewable energy, environmental conservation and rural enterprise development.
The organisation says revenue from shea butter production and other enterprises contributes to its ambition of building a self-reliant rural economy.
Call for investment
Following the latest export, Okere City has urged farmers across the Lango and Acholi sub-regions to conserve mature shea trees, plant more seedlings and organise themselves into producer groups to improve their access to markets.
The organisation has also called for increased investment in rural agro-processing, affordable financing, renewable energy, transport infrastructure and agricultural value chains to help more Ugandan products reach international markets.
Mr Okello encouraged young people and women to pursue enterprise opportunities in rural communities, saying locally available resources could support businesses capable of competing internationally when backed by organisation, hard work and appropriate partnerships.
“Our rural communities are not places without a future. They are places where the future can be created,” he said.
The latest shipment raises the cooperative’s reported annual export volume from nine metric tonnes in 2025 to 23 metric tonnes in 2026, a development that could strengthen the market for Nilotica shea butter from Northern Uganda.
Beyond the export figures, the initiative highlights efforts to expand local processing, improve rural incomes and create economic opportunities for women in Agago and Otuke districts.