A shea butter and soybean processing plant with an annual processing capacity of 70,000 tonnes of raw materials was officially inaugurated on Monday in Kongodékro, in the municipality of Bouaké, central Côte d’Ivoire. The project is expected to create 450 direct jobs and strengthen local agricultural processing.

The industrial facility, operated by Beta Veg Oil, produces shea butter and is also expected to manufacture refined soybean oil and soybean meal for animal feed.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by several government officials, including Agriculture Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné and Trade, Industry and Crafts Minister Ibrahim Kalil Konaté. Bouaké Mayor and Transport Minister Amadou Koné described the plant as a driver of industrial development and value creation in the region.

The project is also expected to provide market opportunities for women who collect shea nuts, an activity that involves more than 400,000 women in Côte d’Ivoire, according to figures presented at the ceremony. Beta Veg Oil plans to source some of its raw materials directly from collectors and support women's groups.

The investment comes as a significant share of Côte d’Ivoire’s shea production is still exported as raw nuts. The government aims to expand domestic processing to retain more value within the country and improve incomes across agricultural supply chains.

At the local level, the plant forms part of the “Bouaké Nouveau” programme, which aims to increase the share of regional agricultural output processed locally to 50% and create more than 10,000 direct industrial jobs by 2030. These targets apply to the broader development programme for Bouaké, not to the Beta Veg Oil plant alone.

The project’s economic and social impact will depend on production levels, the delivery of the announced jobs and the purchasing conditions offered to shea nut producers and collectors.