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Violet Fredericka Tsotsoo Padi… changing the face of natural cosmetics
Violet Fredericka Tsotsoo Padi
Born to a former Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, it is surprising how she ended up selling shea butter (‘Nkuto’) instead of venturing into the highly sought-after legal profession.
Ms Violet Fredericka Tsotsoo Padi, affectionately called Tsotsoo or Violet by her peers, is a 30-year-old vibrant, smart, good-looking lady with oratory skills.
In 2007, in South Africa, she found herself itching uncontrollably one morning for no apparent reason. And when all remedies proved futile, she reached out to her mother, who gave her a consignment of shea butter to use, and to her surprise that was all she needed.
Innovation
Though she was grateful that her problem had been solved by the shea butter, she did not like the smell of it and was sure her friends did not like it either, which she found embarrassing.
As time went on, she remembered how her mother would mix the ‘nkuto’ with eucalyptus oil and use it on her when she had a cold and how the oil changed the smell of the raw shea butter.
When she returned to Ghana, she started working on making the shea butter smell better by mixing it with any essential oil her mother had at home at the time. Little did she know that this would eventually become her source of income.
All through her university years, Violet enjoyed her shea butter along with complements on her well-hydrated and clear skin despite the harsh Swiss winter.
About seven years later, she and her family had become used to using the homemade essential oil-infused shea butter privately, until an aunt of hers based in Sweden mentioned that she had a good product that she should consider making a business out of.
At this point, Violet was a Meetings & Events Executive at a 5-Star hotel in Accra working long hours and almost every day of the week in some cases, and was thinking how she would manage both activities.
Hope
Her aunt gave her a bunch of orders from some students who had heard about the special shea butter after they visited Ghana and were eager to try it. This was where her business then called ‘Sisal Shea’ was incubated.
Once she was convinced that the shea butter business was a good idea, Violet decided not to make ordinary shea butter. She researched the benefits of many organic and essential oils to ensure each product she made would be beneficial to the user.
In 2018, she resigned from her position at the hotel and started an events management company with her cousin while she “half-heartedly” took shea butter orders from time to time.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 came with its challenges and adverse impact on the events industry. Violet, a single mother with two children at the time, decided to put her heart and soul into the business now called ‘Shea Sentials Gh’ to make it the most sought-after skin product.
The young enterpreneur started by making various body butter [cream] options but having a daughter who seemed to struggle with hair growth, she began to delve into hair products.
Today, Shea Sentials Ghana has Body Butters, Hair Products, African Black Soap Paste, Face Products, Body Scrubs, a kids’ line and soon to start a complete product line for men.
Background
Ms Padi was born in Accra to her Ladyship Justice Sophia Akuffo (Rtd) and Mr Fred Sam Nii Padi (deceased). She grew up as an only child living with her mother who was her sole caregiver and cheerleader.
Coming from a well educated background, she attended many schools including the British School of Lome. She completed her high school at Roedean School for Girls in South Africa, and finally obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons) in Events Management from The Swiss Hotel Management School, Leysin, Switzerland and Derby University (England) in 2013.
Future
Violet believes everyone who wants to look and feel good with their skin and hair should have access to organic, chemical-free skin and hair care products that would enhance their beauty and self-esteem.
At the moment, she makes each product herself from production to packaging. In the long term, she sees her products becoming the most sought-after brand that is “trusted to give exactly what it says it does,” and available on every shelf globally.
As lively as she is, she enjoys trying out new remedies and looks forward to taking dermatology courses to broaden her knowledge. Until then, she remains a hardworking mother, daughter, Events Manager, and ‘Nkuto’ seller.
By Spectator Reporter
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
