President Bola Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the ban on exporting raw shea nuts, moving the expiration date from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027.
Shea nuts, oil-rich fruits from the shea tree found across the savanna belt of Nigeria, serve as the primary raw material for shea butter, widely valued for its moisturising, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant qualities. The butter is commonly used in skin and hair cosmetics and also as an edible cooking oil.
According to a statement issued Wednesday by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the extension reflects the administration’s commitment to industrial growth, domestic value addition, and the goals of its economic reform agenda. The policy is intended to expand local processing capacity, improve livelihoods in shea-producing communities, and promote exports of value-added Nigerian products.
To implement the directive, the president authorised the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit to coordinate a unified, evidence-based national framework aligning industrialisation, trade, and investment priorities within the shea value chain.
He also approved adoption of an export framework developed by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange and ordered the withdrawal of all waivers that previously allowed direct export of raw shea nuts. Any surplus production, he directed, must now be exported only through that framework in line with official guidelines.
In addition, the Federal Ministry of Finance is to provide access to a dedicated NESS Support Window to help fund a Livelihood Finance Mechanism designed to strengthen production and processing capacity.
The Federal Government emphasised that processing shea nuts locally into butter can yield returns estimated at 10 to 20 times the value of raw exports, reaffirming its commitment to policies that encourage inclusive growth, boost local manufacturing, and position the country competitively in global agricultural value chains.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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