President Bola Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the ban on exporting raw shea nuts, extending it from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027. The decision, announced in a State House press release on Wednesday, reflects the administration’s ongoing efforts to promote local processing, enhance value addition, and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base within the agricultural value chain.
According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the move aligns with the government’s industrialisation drive under the Renewed Hope Agenda. “The decision underscores the administration’s commitment to advancing industrial development, strengthening domestic value addition, and supporting the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement read.
The presidency explained that the policy aims to increase Nigeria’s shea processing capacity, improve incomes in producing communities, and prioritise exports of value-added products instead of raw materials. To ensure effective implementation, President Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit to jointly develop and execute a unified, evidence-based national framework. This framework will harmonise industrialisation, trade, and investment priorities across the shea nut value chain.
The President also endorsed an export framework developed by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange and ordered the cancellation of all existing waivers that previously allowed the direct export of raw shea nuts. Under the new directive, any surplus raw shea nuts must be exported strictly through the Nigerian Commodity Exchange framework and in line with approved guidelines.In addition, Tinubu instructed the Federal Ministry of Finance to facilitate access to a dedicated NESS Support Window. This will enable the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to pilot a Livelihood Finance Mechanism designed to boost production and expand processing capacity.
Shea nuts, harvested from shea trees predominantly found in Nigeria’s savanna belt, are the primary raw material for shea butter — a high-value product widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and edible oils. The Federal Government noted that processed shea butter commands far higher prices in international markets. “The Federal Government encourages processing shea nuts into butter locally, as butter fetches between 10 and 20 times the price of the raw nuts,” the statement added.
PUNCH Online previously reported that the Federal Government initially imposed a six-month temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts on August 26, 2025, as part of measures to promote domestic processing, encourage value addition, and reduce the export of unprocessed commodities. At the time, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, reassured stakeholders during a validation session in Abuja that the policy would be reviewed in response to concerns about its impact on producers, exporters, and foreign exchange earnings. The latest extension signals the government’s determination to maintain the restriction as part of wider efforts to reposition Nigeria from a raw commodity exporter to a competitive centre for refined and value-added agricultural products.
Source: https://punchng.com/
