When Christabel Ofori looks at her thriving skincare empire, Afcallo Ventures, she doesn’t see just a business; she sees her firstborn son, Jeremy.

Appearing on Joy FM’s Personality Profile with Lexis Bill on Thursday, January 22, 2026, the chemical engineer and entrepreneur shared the deeply personal origin story of her brand.

What began as a desperate mother’s search for a cure for her infant’s "super dry and sensitive skin" has evolved into a mission to rebrand traditional Ghanaian shea butter (nkuto) for the modern world.

From Despair to Discovery

In 2016, Christabel was battling a recurring nightmare: her son’s skin was perpetually dry, irritable, and resistant to even the most expensive foreign clinical brands.

“So that's the story of Jeremy. My first son is called Jeremy, and he had super dry and sensitive skin. I had tried all these foreign brands and really popular brands, but it wasn’t working,” she recalled.

The turning point came not from a laboratory, but from a piece of traditional wisdom.

Her mother suggested nkuto.

At the time, Christabel was sceptical. In 2016, raw shea butter was largely sold in unappealing balls on the street, often exposed to dust and other elements.

“It didn't sound exciting, but like, you know, I had reached my limits. [So decided] Let me just give it a shot,” she said. To her amazement, the raw butter worked wonders. “I was getting compliments from his daycare teachers and even from church. Like, his skin had changed.”

Bridging the Accessibility Gap

As a chemical engineer, Christabel was struck by the irony: a powerful, natural resource was abundant in Ghana, yet effectively invisible in the formal skincare market.

She recounted the frustration of trying to buy quality shea butter, often waiting 15 minutes on a street corner for a hawker to pass by, only to find the product "dirty, dusty, or whitish".

“I remember even at the hospitals they gave us some things to use on the skin. Nobody recommended nkuto... so like, there's a gap. This is available and should be easily accessible. Why is no one talking about it?”

This realisation birthed the business side of her calling. She realised that by applying her engineering background to standardise the quality and improve the appeal of shea butter, she could bridge the gap between traditional medicine and modern cosmetics.

A Future Rooted in Natural Resources

Today, Christabel is no longer just a mother with an 'egg beater' mixing butter in her kitchen.

She has professionalised her passion, earning a Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation and a Certificate in Anti-Ageing Skincare.

Her journey—from Accra to chemical engineering and now to the helm of Afcallo Ventures—is a testament to the power of local resources.

Inspired by her aunt, who would carry coconut oil from Ghana to the UK, Christabel is now committed to ensuring that Ghana’s 'green gold' (shea) and coconut oils are recognised globally as premium assets.

The Global STEM Challenge: Breaking the "Leaky Pipeline"

Beyond her business, Christabel used the interview to address a critical issue in her field: the dwindling number of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

She noted that while girls often lead their classes in Junior High School (JHS), they begin to "fall behind" as they move toward university.

Barriers to Women in STEM (2024-2026 Data):

Christabel Ofori noted that children rarely see women in technical gear. "How many women do you see in the helmets? So you feel like this is a thing for men."

According to the 2024 Ghana Statistical Service Report, while girls match boys in JHS science scores, they represent only 24% of the STEM workforce.

The myth that engineering is "too difficult" for women persists, often requiring external intervention to overcome.

“I think people like me need to do better and encourage women that it's not as difficult," she concluded. "I'll make it one of my callings.”