KEY POINTS

• Six-month suspension of raw shea exports takes effect immediately.
• Policy targets $300 million in short-term export value.
• Women, who make up 95 percent of shea pickers, expected to benefit.

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has ordered that raw shea nut exports be stopped for six months right away.

He said this is a smart move to strengthen the domestic value chain, generate jobs, and provide farmers, especially women, more economic rewards.

On Tuesday, the government issued the order as part of a broader effort to curb illicit trade and ensure that raw shea supplies remain in the country for local processing plants rather than leaving at a low price.

Officials think that the change might bring in an extra $300 million in export value each year in the short run.

“Green wealth” will be processed in the area

Tinubu stressed how important shea is to Nigeria’s plan to diversify its economy. He said that Nigeria makes over 40 percent of the world’s shea but only gets less than 1 percent of the $6.5 billion worldwide market.

On Wednesday, Tinubu tweeted on X, “Nigeria’s shea is our green wealth.” “That imbalance is over now.”

Moreover the president noted that the strategy was based on advice from the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit and will make sure that greater advantages go to local producers.

Women are at the heart of the shea economy

About 95 percent of Nigeria’s shea nut pickers are women, therefore the policy is being seen as both an economic and social change. Tinubu remarked, “This is a win for our farmers, our women, and Nigeria.”

Vice President Kashim Shettima will be in charge of putting the plan into action. He will work with people in the business to increase local processing capacity and make sure it lasts for a long time.

Finding new markets for exports

Tinubu said that global demand is opening new opportunities, including in Brazil. He also said that Nigeria should no longer “export poverty and import value.” The government wants to process shea locally, compete worldwide, and provide prosperity to the country through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Nigeria’s reliance on raw exports has kept its revenues low for a long time, even though it is the main producer. Furthermore the government wants to get a bigger piece of the burgeoning global market for shea butter and related items used in food, cosmetics, and drugs by constructing processing industries at home.