On a two-hectare farm near Ségou, Mali, Safoura Cissé is transforming an unusual fruit into a growing local business.
Safoura began working with noni in 2019 and founded Health Secret Mali to cultivate, process and sell products made from the fruit. Her company produces noni juice and powder, adding value to a crop grown locally instead of selling it only as raw produce.
In 2021, she received $2,500 in seed funding through a youth entrepreneurship programme run by the United Nations Development Programme and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. The support helped her establish a small processing and packaging unit.
According to UNDP, the business has created five full-time jobs and seven part-time jobs for young people in the community. Safoura has also introduced a micro-jet irrigation system to use water more efficiently and is moving towards fully organic production.
Her ambition is to expand Health Secret Mali into a major West African noni-processing business powered by renewable energy.
Safoura’s story shows what positive African progress can look like: local agriculture, entrepreneurship, responsible use of resources and new opportunities for young people.
Source: United Nations Development Programme
https://www.undp.org/africa/waca/blog/safoura-cisse-queen-noni-virtuous-agro-industry
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