Do you know where you can find shea?
The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), the source of one of Africa's oldest oils, is a tree found only in Africa, in a geographical range that stretches over 5,000 kilometers from the West to the East of the continent, from Senegal to Sudan, via 21 nations.
Shea butter is without a doubt one of the oldest edible vegetable oils created by man, having been used for millennia. There is archaeological evidence that shea orchards have been in northern Burkina Faso for 1000 years, and there is rising evidence that the shea kernel was known to the Egyptians for far longer. It is 6000 years old.
For centuries, famous explorers have reported on walnut cultivation. The nut would have been handed to the legendary Moroccan adventurer Ibn Battuta between 1349 and 1354, during his trek from the Sahara to Mali. A few decades later, it was the turn of the Scottish explorer Mungo Park to emphasize its significance in people's everyday lives. During his hunt for the Niger River's origins between 1795 and 1797, he would also detail his considerable trading. We owe the first known botanical sketches of the tree and the first effort to define the species to him in particular.
NEWS
Read the articles below to stay up to date on the latest Mali Shi news.
“We can never have enough of Nature.” By Henry David Thoreau
“Treat the Earth as though we intend to stay here” By Crispin Tickell
“We can never have enough of Nature.” By Henry David Thoreau
“Treat the Earth as though we intend to stay here” By Crispin Tickell
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01 APR 2026
We were honored to have Malishi participate in the African Cheetahs Roundtable 2026
Held earlier this year, this unique gathering brings together a new generation of fast-moving African leaders
14 JAN 2026
Our Director Participates in the 7th Forum of Tomorrow’s Accountants
Our Director, Mrs. Kancou Keita Cissé, participated in the 7th edition of the Forum of Tomorrow’s Accountants, held on January 14–15, 2026, in Bamako, which focused on financial cybersecurity, an increasingly critical issue for the accounting profession.
24 OCT 2025
A delegation from the National Council of Employers of Mali (CNPM), led by its President Mossadeck BALLY, visited Mali Shi, the first industrial shea processing unit in Mali, on Friday, October 24, 2025
This initiative is part of the CNPM’s ongoing efforts to listen to and support national companies that add value to local resources.
01 OCT 2025
The CEO of Mali Shi Visits the Shared Agricultural Zone: A Model of Mentorship and Female Leadership
Mrs. Kancou Keita Cissé, CEO of Mali Shi, recently visited the Shared Agricultural Zone (ZAP)
18 SEP 2025
A New Dawn for Malian Shea: Malishi and the Interprofessional Body Join Forces
Under the co-chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Daniel Siméon Kelema, and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Alouseni Sanou...
29 AUG 2025
Official launch ceremony of the 2025–2026 shea kernel marketing campaign
This signing marks an official partnership between Malian industrialists and the Shea Industry Interprofessional Organization...
21 AUG 2025
Meeting with the Minister of Agriculture
On Thursday, August 21, 2025, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Daniel Siméon KELEMA, received the President of the Mali Shea Sector Interprofessional Organization...
20 AUG 2025
Signing of Memorandums of Understanding between Malian industrialists and the Shea Interprofessional Organization
ORTM 8 p.m. News
01 AUG 2025
On August, 01, Mali Shi has successfully renewed ISO 22000 certification for the third consecutive year.
On August 01, 2025, we successfully renewed our ISO 22000 certification for the third consecutive year.
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