Tinubu imposes six-month ban on raw shea nut exports to enhance Nigeria’s $300m shea industry
Abdullateef Fowewe
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate six-month ban on the export of raw shea nuts to curb informal trade, enhance local processing, and strengthen Nigeria’s shea value chain.
The directive according to a statement on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, aims to boost the country’s shea industry and generate approximately $300 million annually in the short term.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced the policy during a multi-stakeholder meeting at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, underscored the government’s focus on value addition rather than trade restrictions.
He explained, “This decision is not an anti-trade policy but a pro-value addition policy designed to secure raw materials for our processing factories and enabling industries run at full capacity thereby boosting rural income and jobs for our people.”
Shettima highlighted the transformative potential of the policy establishing, “It will transform Nigeria from an exporter of raw shea nut to a global supplier of refined shea butter, oil, and other derivatives… This is about industrialization, rural transformation, gender empowerment and expanding Nigeria’s global trade footprint.”
The Vice President pointed out Nigeria’s current underperformance despite its dominance in shea production noting, “Nigeria produces nearly 40% of the global shea product, yet we account for only 1% of the market share of $6.5 billion.
“This is unacceptable. We are projected to earn about $300 million annually in the short term, and by 2027, there will be a 10-fold increase.”
This import ban is part of a collaborative decision involving sub-national and federal governments, designed to open new economic opportunities.
“Mr President is currently in Brazil, and both countries have agreed to prioritise access for Nigerian shea butter and oil into the Brazilian market,” Shettima added.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, provided further context, underscoring Nigeria’s untapped potential. Despite producing an estimated 350,000 metric tonnes annually across 30 states, Nigeria currently captures less than 1% of the $6.5 billion global shea market.
He revealed that “over 90,000 metric tonnes of raw shea are lost each year in informal cross-border trade, even as Nigeria’s processors operate at only 35 to 50 percent capacity.”
Kyari also noted that neighbouring countries like Ghana and Burkina Faso have already imposed similar export restrictions, leaving Nigeria vulnerable as “an outlier and a hotspot for opportunistic and unregulated buying.”
Importantly, the shea industry has a strong gender dimension. With about 90% of shea pickers and processors being women, the ban and the resulting boost to local processing capacity are expected to generate rural jobs and empower millions of women across the country.
“This is not closing doors but opening better ones,” said Shettima.
“Today, we plant the seeds of an industry that will yield fruit for decades to come for our women, for our economy, and for Nigeria’s place in global trade.”
The policy aligns with Nigeria’s wider economic strategy under the Zero Oil Plan, aiming to develop strategic non-oil exports and leverage Nigeria’s natural advantages to diversify its economy.
