Rahama Wright is a social entrepreneur driving change at the intersection of beauty, policy, and international development.
Having grown up personally aware of inequalities in the world, Rahama developed an interest in women’s economic empowerment. Following her Peace Corps service, she made the ambitious decision to launch Shea Yeleen, a social impact company that creates living-wage jobs for women-owned shea butter cooperatives in Ghana.
In 2005, she launched Shea Yeleen International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports women-owned cooperatives in West Africa, and provides training on quality assurance and micro-enterprise development.
With a vision to develop an integrative and sustainable supply chain, Wright created Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty, LLC in 2012, a for-profit sister organization. Shea Yeleen markets and distributes high quality skincare products, while providing living wages to cooperative members.
It took seven long years to build Shea Yeleen: She spent the first two years researching grassroots organization, how to structure the operation, how to train women and how to identify and work with local leaders.
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Challenges and Triumphs
The process came with it’s own set of challenges: She used all of her Peace Corps money, and then some.
“Honestly, if I look back, I don’t know how I kept going. Everything was telling me, ‘this is not going work.’ But I believed. It boils down to faith.
Why Ghana Dominates Global Shea Butter Exports While Nigeria Grows the Most.
Impact and Empowerment
Shea Yeleen provides living wages - $6 per day from the usual $2 per day - access to community health cards for family care, and an opportunity for savings. It also funds dreams.
“I think you don’t know if you can do something until you try, or someone opens your eyes that this is achievable,” says Wright.
Shea Yeleen cooperative women work in small facilities, in groups of 10, and produce butter, and most recently, shea butter soap.
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One of Wright’s favorite images from her journey is of her with children of the cooperative members. “That moment really captures why I’m doing this,” says Wright. “Throughout history, I have been inspired by people who were able to change the lives of the next generation. When I started Shea Yeleen, I said, ‘I might not be able to completely change a woman’s life. She may still have a first-grad education.
Recognition and Accolades
Wright has received several accolades for her vision and success. In 2008, she was one of 80 women selected to participate in an Oprah Winfrey and White House leadership Project.
A leading voice on African women’s economic and business development Ms. Wright has participated in the United Nations Thematic Debate on Entrepreneurship for Development, the Secretary of State Global Diaspora Forum, and the Congressional Black Caucus Conference. In 2014, she completed her first round of private equity investment with the Pan African Investment Company. She currently serves as an advisor to entrepreneurs in the Johns Hopkins University’s Social Innovation Lab.
Rahama Wright's Broader Impact
Beyond the beauty industry, Wright is a champion for economic empowerment and inclusive entrepreneurship. Trade Representative Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, advocating for policies that foster equitable business opportunities.
In Washington, DC, Wright founded the DC Pop-Up, a retail collective showcasing women- and minority-owned businesses across diverse categories, including art, jewelry, apparel, home goods, and specialty foods.
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An avid traveler, she has visited and worked in 38 countries.
Wright is serving her fourth term as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa and delivered talks at The United Nations, the World Bank, and the Sustainable Brands Conference.
Shea Yeleen, a social impact beauty brand, manufactures pure plant-based shea butter body care products that nourish the skin and empower its producers by creating living wage jobs for women in Ghana.
The Yeleen Beauty Makerspace, scheduled to open in 2023 in Washington, DC, will provide manufacturing, business, and educational support for early-stage companies that manufacture and/or sell hair, skin, and body products.
A Memorable Journey
Wright says her proudest moment was when two shea butter producers from Ghana traveled with her to visit 26 Whole Foods Markets in the North Atlantic region. I rented a car and we drove from New York to hit stores in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine. It was a four-week road trip and an opportunity for Gladys and Joana to experience the market end of the supply chain. I was excited to show them how valuable their work is within the global shea butter supply chain. Women shea butter producers very rarely have visibility and access to the market end of the supply chain.
She believes that transforming lives and empowering people includes sharing knowledge and access to information so that they can make the best decisions for themselves. This life-changing trip trickled back to the cooperative members that both women lead.
