President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a six-month suspension of raw shea exports, in a decisive move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, empowering women and ensuring greater local economic benefits from one of the nation’s most valuable natural resources.
The directive, announced on the recommendation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, seeks to prioritize domestic processing of shea nuts, which are currently exported largely in raw form, with minimal value captured within Nigeria. Despite producing nearly 40 percent of the world’s shea supply, the country accounts for less than one percent of the global shea market, which is valued at $6.5 billion.
President Tinubu described the suspension as a “win for farmers, for women, and for Nigeria,” stressing that the reform would secure raw materials for local processors, stimulate job creation, and position the country to compete more effectively in international markets.
“Shea is our green wealth. We will no longer export poverty and import value,” the President said. “We will create value at home, compete abroad, and deliver prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima has been mandated to work closely with industry stakeholders to accelerate the expansion of processing capacity nationwide, ensuring that the policy delivers tangible and lasting benefits. This includes supporting smallholder farmers, most of whom are women—who make up over 95 percent of shea nut pickers—while also driving investment in modern processing facilities.
The administration also disclosed that new opportunities are opening in Brazil and other global markets, presenting Nigeria with a unique chance to grow its share of the shea trade and diversify its export portfolio.
Agricultural experts and stakeholders have widely welcomed the policy, describing it as a bold step toward reversing decades of underperformance in the sector. Analysts believe that with effective implementation, Nigeria could transform shea into a major non-oil export commodity, generate foreign exchange and empower rural communities especially as the policy could unlock 300 million dollars and economically liberate millions of women across the country.
The suspension marks another milestone in the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes food security, economic diversification and inclusive growth through value addition in agriculture.
