BUSINESS
RD CONGO: “Ice Karité”, organic and artisanal ice cream with shea butter!
The young entrepreneur Benjamin Mampuya of Congolese origin started from the observation that shea butter is a product very used in African households to cook, while in France it has only a cosmetic use today. He therefore had the ambitious idea of making shea butter accessible to the general public as a food and common consumption product. He created organic artisanal ice cream based on karate butter with several tropical fruit flavors, 10 in total: Aloko, Baobab, Bissap, Peanut, Cocoa, Ginger, Kaki, Mango, Coconut, and Vanilla.
Shea butter – Bissap
The ice cream quickly proved to be the ideal support in which it could combine shea butter. He creates his artisanal ice cream with shea butter. These are the first shea butter ice cream products manufactured and marketed on the French and European markets. They are stamped “ICE KARITE”. Food use and its virtues are still unknown to the Western public. By putting on the market the “ICE KARITE” product range, it offers consumers of shea butter new products that they are still unaware of. With the “ICE KARITE” ice cream, he wants to make the general public discover that shea butter is a food product that is consumed like so many others!
The virtues of a flagship ingredient
Shea butter is used in cosmetics for its beneficial properties on the body, but also in pure form in African cuisine. Its richness in mono-unsaturated fatty acids ranks it among the best edible oils alongside olive oil; and we know it less! More recently, new food uses for shea butter have emerged. His approach on the use of shea butter in his ice cream is therefore part of this new line of manufacture of the products elaborated that stand out from the traditional use of shea butter namely: cooking oil. (hibiscus flower), coconut. These other ingredients also have known and beneficial virtues for our organism.
Sea Butter – Ginger
What will the collection do?
This collection will be used to market our range of organic ice in individual version and small pots of 473 mL and 165 mL, to meet the strong demand of our customers. Currently, ice cream is packaged in a 1L tray for the general public and 2.5L for restaurants. Customers want to be served with pots in small quantities and in an organic version.
Sea Butter – Mango
Our team
Benjamin MAMPUYA is a Congolese national (DRC). He came to Montpellier in 1987 to complete his graduate studies. After his studies, he made a brief passage in higher education as a professor at the Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie Tropicale in Montpellier. At the same time, Benjamin Mampuya created Le Marché Tropical, which later became MNS Market, a company selling ethnic food and cosmetics. In 2018, he created the young company called ESONALIS. He works closely with my wife and two loyal partners: WONTAR Association and PROVIASUD Laboratory.
Call for donations
It calls today for a donation that will provide support for the self-financing of the association. Indeed, the project plans to create a participatory vignette to the activities of the association WONTAR. The consumer will see the amount of the ESONALIS contribution to the association on each container or jar of ice intended for sale. The pool link here.
The WONTAR Association
It has partnered with them to secure its supply of raw materials, mainly shea butter and bissap. Based in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), WONTAR is an association created and managed by women. It manufactures shea butter, exploits the bissap it exports to France on behalf of ESONALIS. With its purchases and the income it provides, women can take care of themselves, buy basic necessities, educate their children and self-finance their activities.
The PROVIASUD laboratory
Specialized in the formulation of extract based on STEVIA, Benjamin MAMPUYA works with them on the development of the first ice cream with shea butter at STEVIA, 100% vegetable and organic without added sugar. This new light ice cream can be a gourmet alternative to diabetics and people who are looking for natural products, healthy without too much or not at all sugar and often of vegetable origin.
Sea butter – Cacao
The presidency of Togo has announced that the project to exploit the manganese mine of Nayega, located in the Savanes region in the north of the country, is entering its operational phase. According to a statement issued on June 10, 2025, production is scheduled to start at the end of June 2025, with an initial volume of 4,000 tons per month, which should gradually double to reach 8,000 tons per month.
Keras Resources is the technical partner retained by the Togolese government to carry out this project. A statement from Keras, relayed by the presidency, details that the company signed a cooperation agreement in 2023 with the Togolese state, owner of the mine through the Togolese Manganese Company (STM). Under the terms of this agreement, Keras will receive a remuneration of 1.5% of the mine’s gross revenue for three years for its advisory services, as well as 6% for brokering services.
The reserves of the Nayega mine are estimated at 8.5 million tonnes, which would allow exploitation over a period of 11 years. The authorities of Lomé welcome the expected contribution of the mine to the national budget, a benefit that should be strengthened by the rigorous management of the generated revenues, as indicated by our colleagues from Agence Afrique.
With a growing global demand for manganese, particularly in steel alloys and renewable energy technologies, Togo is seeking to assert itself as an essential supplier of this strategic ore. This positioning could play a catalytic role for the national economy, always according to information from the Africa Agency.
Source: senego / Photo credit: Republicoftogo.com
The Gabonese government decided on Friday to ban the import of broilers in order to promote national poultry production and ensure food security, according to the final communiqué of the council of ministers chaired by the head of state, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
The ban will be effective from 1 January 2027, thus leaving a period of 18 months (1 year and 6 months) for actors in the sector to structure themselves, invest and prepare to meet national demand.
“This measure aims to restore domestic poultry production, boost agricultural investment, reduce food dependency and strengthen the trade balance,” the government hopes. Gabon also hopes to foster “the emergence of a network of rural jobs, the rise in quality of products consumed locally and the creation of an economic ecosystem around this sector”.
The government has also planned a detailed operational plan to be presented within 45 days by the ministers responsible for economy and trade.
Libreville dreams of reducing its dependence on poultry imports and strengthening the country’s food security. In addition, the promotion of local poultry farming should have a positive impact on rural areas, generating jobs and contributing to the development of a vibrant poultry ecosystem.
Imported frozen chicken is the most consumed food in Gabon because of its low price and packaging ready to be thrown into a pot.
“The star of the freezer” is how Gabonese people refer to frozen chicken because it is often the only food, if not the default food, found in the freezers of Gabonese families.
Frozen chicken and meat are generally imported from Latin America and Europe. Their massive presence on the market has destroyed local production.
The Council of Ministers also announced a ban on exporting crude manganese from 1 January 2029. The objective is to promote local industrial development, create jobs and maximize the value of this resource, of which Gabon is the world’s second largest producer.
Sources: gabonactu.com
Mauritania is in the spotlight. On Thursday, May 29, 2025, Sidi Ould Tah was elected president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), at the annual meeting of the institution held in Abidjan. He succeeds Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, in office since 2015.
His election came after a hard-fought duel against Samuel Munzele Maimbo of Zambia, who finished in second place. The election, which was marked by major geopolitical and economic issues, took place against a background of high expectations regarding governance and development financing on the continent.
The Senegalese Amadou Hott, long perceived as one of the favorites, finishes in third place, followed by the South African Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala. Despite significant diplomatic support, notably for Hott, the momentum in favour of Sidi Ould Tah has prevailed in the last few rounds.
Former minister and general manager of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Sidi Ould Tah is recognized for his experience and strategic vision. He will officially take office on 1 September 2025.
Photo credit: Forbes Africa
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