The 2025 edition of the Ghana Beauty Awards was marked by a significant moment of recognition when Dora Haborsutei Torwiseh, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nuts for Growth Ltd., received the Honorary Recipient Award for her outstanding contribution to inclusive rural development, industrial innovation and sustainable enterprise.
The award ceremony, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel, brought together key industry stakeholders, entrepreneurs and professionals from across Ghana’s creative and business sectors. The event celebrated individuals and organisations whose work demonstrates excellence and social impact beyond conventional boundaries.
Mrs. Torwiseh was recognised for her leadership in transforming Ghana’s shea and soya value chains and for empowering over 81,000 rural women and youths through sustainable livelihood initiatives. The citation accompanying her award described her as “a transformative force in Ghana’s agricultural and social enterprise sectors.”
In her remarks after receiving the award, Mrs. Torwiseh expressed gratitude to the organisers and acknowledged the contributions of her team and community partners. “This recognition is not just for me but for the thousands of women who work daily to build better lives for their families,” she said. “Empowering women remains central to everything we do.”
The Ghana Beauty Awards, which annually celebrates innovation and excellence within the beauty and lifestyle industries, extended its scope this year to include leaders driving sustainable social and economic change. By honouring Mrs. Torwiseh, the organisers highlighted the link between enterprise, empowerment and the broader concept of beauty as societal progress.
According to the organisers, the Honorary Recipient Award is presented to exceptional individuals whose work has made measurable contributions to national development and international recognition for Ghana.
Mrs. Torwiseh’s recognition adds to her growing list of achievements, including international acknowledgments such as the Bunge Loders Croklaan Supplier Excellence Award (2022). Her leadership in Nuts for Growth Ltd. and Women for Change (W4C) continues to position her among Ghana’s most influential figures in rural industrialisation and women’s economic empowerment.
The woman behind the vision
Mrs. Dora Haborsutei Torwiseh, whose name has become closely associated with women’s economic empowerment and rural transformation, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nuts for Growth Ltd. Her professional journey reflects steady progress from community-level initiatives to leadership of a nationally recognised agribusiness enterprise.
Born and raised in northern Ghana, Mrs. Torwiseh developed an early interest in agriculture and local industry. After her tertiary education, she began work within rural development programmes that focused on training women in small-scale processing and financial literacy. These early experiences shaped her understanding of the challenges facing women in informal production chains, including access to markets, quality standards and sustainable pricing.
Nuts for Growth Ltd. provides training in quality control, safety practices and business management for women producers while ensuring that finished products meet export requirements. Under her direction, Nuts for Growth has grown from a small cooperative of processors to a major supplier of refined shea butter for both domestic and international markets.
Mrs. Torwiseh also founded Women for Change (W4C), a non-profit initiative that complements the commercial operations of Nuts for Growth by focusing on education, mentorship and social welfare programmes for women and youth. Through W4C, she has introduced development projects that support literacy, health awareness and environmental conservation within producing communities.
Her leadership style is often described as inclusive and data-driven. Colleagues say she maintains direct engagement with field officers and cooperatives, ensuring that decision-making remains informed by the realities of rural producers. Beyond management, she is recognised for promoting transparency in pricing and traceability across the supply chain.
Industry analysts regard Mrs. Torwiseh as part of a new generation of Ghanaian entrepreneurs combining social impact with corporate accountability. Her commitment to sustainable sourcing and fair trade has attracted partnerships with development agencies and private-sector buyers seeking ethical products from West Africa. The Honorary Recipient Award presented to her this year acknowledges not only personal achievement but also the broader success of the communities that her initiatives continue to serve.
The birth of Nuts for Growth Ltd.
The establishment of Nuts for Growth Ltd. marked a major step in Ghana’s evolving agribusiness landscape, reflecting a model that combines commercial viability with social development. For Mrs. Torwiseh, the company’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, the idea emerged from a clear observation: thousands of rural women contributed significantly to Ghana’s shea and soya production, yet remained on the margins of profit and decision-making.
Her early work in northern Ghana exposed her to the realities of women engaged in manual shea butter processing — long hours of labour, minimal income and limited market access. Many lacked modern equipment or knowledge of quality standards required for export. Recognising both the potential and the gap, she began developing a model that would formalise production, improve value addition and ensure equitable participation across the supply chain.
Nuts for Growth Ltd. was incorporated with a mission to create a transparent, ethical and profitable agribusiness that empowers rural producers, particularly women, through structured participation and fair trade. Starting with a few cooperatives in the Upper West Region, the company began offering training in quality assurance, packaging and environmental sustainability. It also introduced systems for bulk aggregation and export-standard processing.
Through partnerships with international buyers and development organisations, Nuts for Growth established reliable export channels for refined shea butter and related products. The company also diversified into soya-based production, ensuring that local farmers could benefit from stable markets and technical support.
From these modest beginnings, the enterprise quickly expanded. The firm became known not only for its high-quality products, but also for its inclusive policies; offering capacity-building programmes, literacy support and health initiatives for its network of over 81,000 rural women and youth.
Industry observers describe Nuts for Growth as an example of how small-scale rural production can evolve into a competitive export business without losing its social purpose. The company’s steady growth has also attracted collaboration with academic and research institutions to improve processing efficiency and environmental compliance.
Empowering 81,000 dreams
At the centre of Nuts for Growth Ltd.’s operations is a social mission: to create sustainable livelihoods for rural women and youth across Ghana. Through structured training, cooperative support and direct market linkages, the company has empowered more than 81,000 individuals, turning traditional subsistence production into a dependable source of income and community development.
The company supports women in the collection and processing of shea nuts and soybeans, providing them with modern equipment, safety gear and training in hygiene and quality standards. These interventions have improved productivity and reduced health risks associated with manual processing.
Workshops on financial management, record keeping and cooperative governance aim to build managerial confidence among women leaders. Youth engagement forms another critical part of the organisation’s outreach through internships and apprenticeships in quality control, logistics and agri-processing.
Health and education initiatives, including literacy drives and sanitation projects, complement the economic interventions. Household incomes have risen and many beneficiaries now contribute to local projects such as borehole construction and school rehabilitation.
According to Mrs. Torwiseh, the success of the programme lies in its simplicity and consistency. “When women have the tools and knowledge to participate fully in the value chain, the results speak for themselves,” she said. Through this model, Nuts for Growth Ltd. has demonstrated that rural empowerment, when aligned with modern business practices, can drive both social progress and industrial growth.
Sustainability and innovation
Nuts for Growth Ltd. has become a reference point for sustainability and innovation in Ghana’s agro-processing sector. Under Mrs. Torwiseh’s leadership, the company has combined traditional production methods with modern technology, ensuring both environmental responsibility and product competitiveness.
The company’s eco-friendly processing centres use energy-efficient roasting and milling systems that reduce fuel consumption while maintaining product quality. By reusing shea husks as biomass fuel, waste and emissions are significantly reduced.
The company’s operations follow strict internal quality-control frameworks aligned with international certification standards. Regular inspections and laboratory testing ensure that all exports meet global purity and traceability requirements.
Environmental stewardship remains central to the company’s mandate. Through reforestation campaigns and partnerships with the Forestry Commission, thousands of shea trees have been planted to replace degraded parklands.
In the soya sector, Nuts for Growth Ltd. promotes climate-smart farming and digital monitoring systems that help farmers manage crops more efficiently. Her strategy has drawn attention from international development partners and research institutions.
Leadership beyond business
Beyond her business achievements, Mrs. Torwiseh founded Women for Change (W4C), a non-profit platform that promotes women’s empowerment, education and social welfare. The organisation’s programmes cover entrepreneurship, mentorship and community health, providing skills and opportunities for women and young people across rural Ghana.
Under W4C, hundreds of women have received training in product development, cooperative management and business planning. Others benefit from mentorship and literacy programmes that prepare them for leadership roles. The foundation also provides educational materials and health support, including maternal-care interventions and sanitation drives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, W4C distributed protective gear and hygiene materials to rural communities, earning praise from local authorities for its outreach. W4C collaborates with government ministries, NGOs and private partners to advance gender equity and access to resources.
Mrs. Torwiseh uses the platform to advocate for policies that improve women’s access to credit, land and fair trade markets. “True change occurs when communities take charge of their development. Our role is to provide the tools, guidance, and opportunity,” she said.
Conclusion
Mrs. Dora Haborsutei Torwiseh’s journey reflects the impact of leadership rooted in ethics, empathy and enterprise. From rural cooperatives to international recognition, her work has demonstrated how one person’s vision can transform industries, empower communities and redefine national narratives on development.
Her recognition at the Ghana Beauty Awards 2025 serves not only as personal validation but as a broader acknowledgment of the thousands of women and youths whose dedication fuels Ghana’s growth. As her work continues to evolve, Mrs. Torwiseh exemplifies how leadership guided by purpose can shape a future defined by opportunity, inclusion and shared prosperity.
The post Dora Haborsutei Torwiseh honoured at Beauty Awards 2025 appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS