President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate six-month suspension on the export of raw shea nuts, aiming to reposition Nigeria as a global leader in refined shea products. The directive, announced by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a multi-stakeholder meeting at the Presidential Villa, is designed to protect domestic processors and ensure raw materials remain within the country to support underutilized industries.
Shettima emphasized that the move is not anti-trade but rather a pro-value addition strategy intended to boost rural incomes, job creation, and industrial capacity. Nigeria currently produces nearly 40 percent of global shea output but captures only one percent of the $6.5 billion international market. The new policy is expected to generate at least $300 million annually in the short term, with projections of a tenfold increase by 2027.
The Vice President also revealed that Nigeria is working with Brazil to secure market access for Nigerian shea butter and oil within three months. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, noted that Nigeria loses over 90,000 metric tonnes of shea annually to informal cross-border trade, while domestic processors operate at just 35–50 percent of their installed capacity. He stressed that neighboring countries like Ghana and Burkina Faso have already imposed similar restrictions, making Nigeria vulnerable to opportunistic buying.
With over five million hectares of wild-growing shea trees and more than 90 percent of pickers and processors being women, the ban is expected to empower rural communities and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global shea value chain. The government sees this as a strategic step toward industrialization, gender empowerment, and sustainable economic transformation.
