President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate suspension of raw shea nut exports from Nigeria.
The directive, announced on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, comes shortly after the commissioning of Africa’s largest shea butter processing facility in Mokwa, Niger State, established by Salid Agriculture Nigeria Limited.
The multi-billion-naira plant is expected to significantly enhance Nigeria’s capacity for value addition in the shea industry.
Present at the meeting where the suspension was announced were delegates from the Federal Ministry of Finance, senior representatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other key stakeholders in the trade and agriculture sectors.
Nigeria is among the leading producers of shea nuts in West Africa, a region that accounts for the majority of global supply.
However, most exports have traditionally been in raw form, depriving local economies of substantial revenue from value-added products such as shea butter and derivatives used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries.
By halting the export of raw shea nuts, the Tinubu administration joins a growing list of West African governments, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and more recently Togo that have introduced restrictions to promote local processing.
9News Nigeria reports that Nigeria is a leading hub for shea-based manufacturing, where the crop is largely cultivated by women.
