The National Association of Shea Products of Nigeria (NASPAN) has welcomed the Federal Government’s recent decision to place a temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts, describing the move as a strategic step toward repositioning Nigeria as a global leader in the shea industry.
The Association is however seeking a 90-day window for exporters with valid contract agreements to execute existing obligations.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja over the weekend, NASPAN President, Mohammed Ahmed Kontagora, said although the policy was announced suddenly at the peak of the trading season, it remained a welcome development that would strengthen local processing, curb informal trade, boost job creation, and promote rural economic growth.
Kontagora clarified that the ban applies only to the exportation of shea nuts or kernels, not shea butter, stressing that substantial value addition occurs when kernels are processed into butter.
“NASPAN appeals for a 90-day grace period for aggregators who had already acquired large stocks of shea nuts worth billions of naira prior to the announcement, to enable them meet existing contractual obligations under regulated conditions,” he said.
The NASPAN president also urged the government to take further steps, including the establishment of a Shea Marketing Board, provision of grants and equipment support for processors, passage of the National Council on Shea Bill, and integration of shea trees into climate management programs.
He highlighted the association’s Shea Parkland Restoration and Afforestation Programme (SPARE), which aims to plant 10 million shea trees across Nigeria over the next decade.
