Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry

With Young Green Entrepreneurs – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

With SMEGA - SME GrowAfrica – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

With Africa Skills Hub – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

Beyond the Burkina Faso Tomato Ban: Ghana Needs Structure, Not Panic

When Burkina Faso reduced tomato exports to Ghana, the loudest response was: “We should grow more tomatoes.” But if we take an honest look at our sector, the issue isn’t production. The real gap is the system that surrounds tomato farming.
We Waste Plenty Even at Current Production Levels.

Every year, farmers in the Upper East, Bono East, Ashanti and parts of Savannah watch good tomatoes rot because traders can’t take everything, prices drop overnight, and there’s almost no structured storage. So increasing production without fixing the system only multiplies the waste.

Ghana’s Real Issue Is the Seasonal Mismatch
We have:
Dry-season shortages
Rainy-season gluts

The conversation must shift from “grow more” to “stabilize the value chain.”

The Middle of the Chain Is the Weakest Link
Ghana still lacks coordinated:

Packhouses and cold rooms
Standard grading and packaging
Affordable cold transport
Reliable processors
Guaranteed off-take contracts
Production planning
Efficient market systems
Countries that dominate tomato production globally did it through structure, not size.

Research Alone Can’t Fix the System
Institutions like Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), especially the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, have developed strong varieties such as CRI Kwabena Kwabena and COPIA early-maturing, high-yield, and climate-resilient.
But without a functioning chain to absorb the harvest, even the best seed can’t stabilize the market.

So Where Does This Leave Us?
If Ghana increases production without addressing structure, we end up with:
1) More waste
2) Bigger gluts
3) Farmers losing money
4) Same shortages in the dry season
5) Continued dependence on imports at critical moments.

At Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry Limited, tomatoes are more than a food crop they’re a high-value raw material for beauty and wellness products. Working directly with tomatoes forces us to understand the deeper issues: post-harvest losses, weak processing links, inconsistent supply, and the missing industrial layer.
By converting tomatoes into soaps and natural oils, we are:

1)Creating alternative demand channels for farmers.

2) Reducing waste.

3) Supporting value addition.

4) Demonstrating how agriculture can power new industries.

5) Building year-round demand outside the food market

This is how tomatoes become more than a perishable crop they become a catalyst for jobs, manufacturing, and national transformation.

The Institutions That Must Be Part of This Conversation
To fix the system, we need coordinated leadership from:
Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Accra
Young Green Entrepreneurs
Ghana Irrigation Development Authority
Ghana Standards Authority
Ghana Enterprises Agency
Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs Ghana Export Promotion Authority
Farmer groups and market associations across Ghana.
Private processors and local manufacturers like Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry

This challenge goes beyond the farm. It requires national coordination, private sector innovation, and market transformation.

The Burkina Faso cutback is not a crisis it’s a signal. Ghana can build a resilient tomato economy if we fix the value chain, strengthen processing capacity, and create new industries that depend on tomatoes beyond food.

Zayn is committed to being part of that future a future where tomatoes create value at every stage, from farm to factory to finished products.

Turning Tomato Losses into Economic Value in Ghana.

Burkina Faso’s decision to restrict fresh tomato exports didn’t happen by chance.
They invested first.
Built processing capacity.
Then they protected their industry.

In 2024, they commissioned a tomato processing plant with a capacity of about 5 tonnes per hour, translating to over 12,000 tonnes annually.

Simple thinking:
process locally, create jobs, keep the value.
Now let’s look at Ghana.

1) Annual tomato demand: ~800,000 metric tonnes.

2)Local production: 500,000–600,000 metric tonnes.

3)Post-harvest losses: 20%–30%
That means we lose 100,000 to 180,000 tonnes every year.
At an average of GHS 1,500 per tonne, that is:
GHS 150 million to GHS 270 million lost annually Yet, we still import tomato paste.

This is not just a farming issue,It is a VALUE CHAIN PROBLEM.

Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry we saw this early.When tomatoes flood the market and go to waste, we don’t see spoilage,We see opportunity.

We convert surplus tomatoes into:
1)Skincare products

2) Shelf-stable value-added goods

3) New income streams beyond food

If we redirect just 10–15% of these losses:
We can create 200+ jobs
Generate GHS 30M , GHS 60M in value annually,

Reduce pressure on farmers during glut seasons

Scale that further, and we are looking at a GHS 500M+ value-added industry over time.
This is bigger than tomatoes.

It’s about whether Ghana continues to lose value, or starts building from it.

Mastercard Foundation
Bernard Avle
Ghana Export Promotion Authority
Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs Ghana Enterprises Agency
Social Enterprise Ghana
Young Green Entrepreneurs

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to be part of a program organized by Shared Value Africa. I went in expecting to learn about sustainability and impact. I left with a much deeper reflection about how businesses in Africa should really be built.

One idea kept coming up again and again during the sessions.

Impact cannot scale without strong internal structures.

Many of us as entrepreneurs focus on the product, the opportunity, or the problem we want to solve. But what truly determines whether a solution grows is the strength of the systems behind it. Governance, operations, measurement, and accountability matter just as much as vision. If those foundations are weak, scaling impact becomes very difficult.

Another moment that stood out for me was the conversation around the difference between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Shared Value.

For a long time, many companies approached impact through CSR, where businesses make profits first and then give something back to society. Shared Value challenges that thinking completely.

Shared Value asks a more powerful question:

What if the business model itself is designed to solve a societal problem while generating profit?

That idea strongly resonated with me because it mirrors the journey we are building at Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry Limited.

Our work transforms tomatoes into skincare products started from a simple observation. In many farming communities, large volumes of tomatoes are lost after harvest, while at the same time many young people struggle to find meaningful employment.

Instead of seeing this as two separate problems, we saw it as an opportunity to build a value chain where farmers, young workers, and consumers could all benefit.

That is the essence of Shared Value.

It is not charity.
It is not philanthropy.
It is intentional business design where economic success and social progress grow together.

This program also reminded me that solving Africa’s biggest challenges will require collaboration. No single entrepreneur, company, or institution can do it alone. It will take partnerships between businesses, innovators, policymakers, and communities.

For us, this experience is shaping how we think about the next phase of growth. Strengthening our internal systems, building the right partnerships, and scaling solutions that create value across the entire chain will be critical.

Africa does not lack ideas.
What we need are businesses that are built with purpose, discipline, and long term thinking.

I am grateful for the conversations, insights, and network of entrepreneurs committed to building businesses that solve real problems.

thank you all ,Shared Value Africa , Andrews Akoto-Addo & Maxwell Beganim for the important work they are doing to grow this movement across the continent.

In the wake of the recent tomato tragedy, there have been strong calls for government to scale up production.

But if we are honest, this is where we often get it wrong as a nation.

We respond with urgency, but not always with depth.
We react emotionally, but not always systemically.

The loss of lives in the tomato trade is painful.
But the solution goes beyond sympathy or short-term production drives.

This is a structural issue.

Agriculture follows a simple truth: demand and supply.
Every farmer is an investor.
If a farmer invests and does not get optimal returns, production will eventually decline.

And that is exactly what we are seeing.

In the 60s, 70s and 80s, Ghana was producing about 1.2 million metric tons of tomatoes annually.
Today, we produce roughly 350,000 to 400,000 metric tons.
And we still lose up to 40% of that to post-harvest losses.

So the real question is not just how to produce more.
It is how to create reliable demand and protect value.

If the government and citizens consistently consume what we grow, farmers will naturally scale.
Demand builds confidence.
Confidence drives investment.
Investment drives production.

This is how strong agricultural systems are built.

What we need now is collective action, not another cycle of knee-jerk responses.
A shared commitment to building value chains that work from farm to market.

And this is where solutions like Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry Limited come in.

At Zayn, we focus on value addition as a resilience strategy.
We convert surplus and rejected tomatoes into high-value skincare products, extending shelf life and creating alternative markets for farmers.

It is not the only solution.
But it is one of many viable pathways to strengthening the sector.

Because when you reduce post-harvest losses, you increase farmer returns.
When you create new uses for crops, you stabilise demand.
And when demand stabilises, production follows.

The future of Ghana’s agriculture will not be built on reactions.
It will be built on systems.

If we truly want to honour the lives lost and prevent future tragedies,
then we must move from emotional responses to structural reforms.

Less reaction.
More coordination.
More value addition.
More collective responsibility.

That is how we rebuild confidence in our farmers and real impact in our food systems.

This year gave us the chance to connect more deeply with the Mastercard Foundation Alumni network, and it has been one of the most valuable parts of our journey.

Being part of a community of young leaders who are building solutions across Africa pushed us to think bigger, sharpen our ideas, and stay grounded in the purpose behind our work.

The conversations, shared experiences, and practical lessons from fellow alumni helped us look at our operations with fresh eyes.

We’ve become clearer about our long-term vision, more intentional about improving our production processes, and more confident about building systems that support real growth.

Each engagement reminded us that collaboration is not just a nice addition it’s a key driver of progress.

Going forward, the insights we gained will guide how we strengthen our team, deepen our impact, and scale our products.

We’re stepping into the new year with renewed focus, better networks, and a strong sense of direction.

Being part of this community continues to shape us, and we’re grateful for every opportunity to learn, share, and grow together.