Rahama Wright

Rahama Wright is a social entrepreneur working to innovate the shea butter supply chain in West Africa.

In 2005, she launched Shea Yeleen International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports women-owned cooperatives in West Africa, and provides training on quality assurance and micro-enterprise development. With a vision to develop an integrative and sustainable supply chain, Ms. Wright created Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty, LLC in  2012, a for-profit sister organization. Shea Yeleen markets and distributes high quality skincare products, while providing living wages to cooperative members. The line of high quality shea butter products is being distributed through Whole Foods Markets.

A leading voice on African women’s economic and business development Ms. Wright has participated in the United Nations Thematic Debate on Entrepreneurship for Development, the Secretary of State Global Diaspora Forum, and the Congressional Black Caucus Conference. In 2014, she completed her first round of private equity investment with the Pan African Investment Company. She currently serves as an advisor to entrepreneurs in the Johns Hopkins University’s Social Innovation Lab. In 2014 she was appointed to President Obama’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa.

Ms. Wright received her BA in International Relations from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.