President Bola Tinubu has extended Nigeria’s ban on the export of raw shea nuts by one year, a move designed to bolster domestic processing and increase the value derived from the country’s shea resources. The prohibition, now effective from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027, reinforces the government’s strategy to shift from exporting raw commodities to producing and exporting higher-value shea butter.
The extension was announced in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. It aligns with the administration’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises industrial development, local value addition, and job creation. The policy aims to incentivise investment in local processing facilities, improve livelihoods in rural shea-producing communities, and expand Nigeria’s export base with finished goods.
To ensure coordinated implementation, President Tinubu has authorised the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit to develop a unified national framework for the shea value chain. This framework will integrate industrialisation, trade, and investment strategies based on evidence and data.
All previously granted waivers for raw shea nut exports have been revoked. Any surplus nuts not consumed domestically must now be exported strictly through the Nigerian Commodity Exchange (NCX), following an export framework adopted by the government. This centralised approach is intended to regulate supply, stabilise local prices for processors, and ensure traceability.
Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Finance has been directed to establish a dedicated NESS Support Window. This mechanism will pilot a Livelihood Finance Scheme under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, aimed at strengthening production and processing capacity among local operators and cooperatives.
The policy builds on a previous six-month ban imposed in 2024, which was introduced to protect the nascent domestic processing industry from raw material scarcity. Shea nuts, harvested from shea trees native to Nigeria’s Savanna region, are the primary source of shea butter. This butter is a key ingredient in global cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. Internationally, processed shea butter commands a price 10 to 20 times higher than raw nuts, highlighting the significant economic potential of value addition.
The government reiterated that such measures are critical for promoting inclusive growth, advancing local manufacturing, and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness within global agricultural value chains. The success of the extended ban will depend on the effective coordination of the newly mandated frameworks and the capacity of local processors to meet both domestic and export demand for value-added shea products.
