President Bola Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the prohibition on exporting raw shea nuts, effective from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027.
The decision, disclosed in a State House statement on Wednesday, reflects the administration’s sustained efforts to enhance local processing, promote value addition, and reinforce Nigeria’s industrial strength 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 stated that the policy aims to increase Nigeria’s shea processing capacity, improve incomes in producing communities, and shift exports toward value-added products instead of raw commodities.
“To further these objectives, President Tinubu has authorised the two Ministers of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit to coordinate the implementation of a unified, evidence-based national framework that aligns industrialisation, trade, and investment priorities across the shea nut value chain,” the statement added.
The President also endorsed the export framework developed by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange and ordered the cancellation of all existing waivers that allowed the direct export of raw shea nuts.
“He also approved the adoption of an export framework established by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange and the withdrawal of all waivers allowing the direct export of raw shea nuts,” Onanuga stated.
Under the new directive, any excess raw shea nuts must be exported solely through the Nigerian Commodity Exchange framework.
“The President directed that any excess supply of raw shea nuts should be exported exclusively through the NCX framework, in accordance with the approved guidelines,” the statement noted.
President Tinubu further instructed the Federal Ministry of Finance to grant access to a dedicated NESS Support Window, enabling the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to launch a Livelihood Finance Mechanism designed to strengthen production and processing capacity.
Shea nuts, harvested from the shea tree predominantly found in Nigeria’s savanna belt, are the main raw material used in producing shea butter, a high-value commodity widely utilised in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and edible oils. The Federal Government emphasised that processed shea butter commands far higher prices in global 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.
The Federal Government had first imposed a six-month temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts on August 26, 2025, as part of efforts to boost domestic processing, increase value addition, and curb the shipment of unprocessed commodities.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, had previously assured stakeholders during a validation meeting in Abuja that the policy would be reassessed in response to concerns regarding its impact on producers, exporters, and foreign exchange earnings.
The recent extension signals the government’s determination to maintain the restriction as part of broader efforts to transform Nigeria from a raw material exporter into a competitive centre for refined and value-added agricultural products.
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