ASSESSMENT OF TRAINING NEEDS OF WOMEN SHEA BUTTE PROCESSORS IN OKE OGUN AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Women play a critical role in shea butter processing, yet their productivity and income are often constrained by limited access to modern technologies, poor quality control, and weak market linkages. This study assessed the training needs of women shea butter processors in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, identify their major sources of information, examine their knowledge levels across different aspects of shea butter processing, assess their training needs, and determine areas where training interventions are most required. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select respondents across selected communities. Primary data were collected using interview schedules, while descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean scores, and ranking were employed for analysis. The findings revealed that fellow processors (70%), radio (52.5%), and family/elders (40.8%) were the most frequently used sources of information, while government training programs (19.2%) and non-governmental organizations (8.3%) played minimal roles. Respondents demonstrated very high knowledge in traditional shea butter production (mean = 4.27), but only moderate knowledge in modern production techniques (mean = 3.19), quality control practices (mean = 3.47), packaging and storage (mean = 3.47), and business marketing strategies (mean = 3.44). Training needs assessment showed that the most pressing needs were in packaging (mean = 4.21), use of processing machines (mean = 4.14), extraction methods (mean = 4.03), and roasting and grinding (mean = 4.01), while harvesting recorded the lowest need (mean = 3.61). The study concludes that while indigenous knowledge remains strong, significant gaps exist in modern processing and business management. It recommends targeted training programs focusing on modern production, packaging, quality assurance, and marketing to enhance efficiency and competitiveness among women shea butter processors.