*Council initiatives mechanisms to ensure ban achieves intended goals

*NASPAN urges FG to prevail on N’Assembly to urgently pass shea council law

*Seeks adoption of shea tree for climate management programmes

Ndubuisi Francis and James Emejo in Abuja

The Director General/Chief Executive, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, has commended the federal government’s recent six-month ban on raw shea nuts export.

President Bola Tinubu approved a temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts to curb informal trade, boost local processing, protect and grow the country’s shea industry.

The ban, is however, subject to review on expiration and specifically aimed at boosting the shea value chain to generate about $300 million annually in the short term.

This came as as the National Association of Shea Products of Nigeria (NASPAN), also urged the federal government to prevail on the National Assembly to immediately pass into law, the National Council on Shea initiated by the 9th Assembly to provide appropriate governance and policy direction  for the sector.

NASPAN, which is the umbrella body for actors in the country’s shea value chain,

stated that for continuous growth and to sustain Nigeria’s advantage of accounting for about 58 per cent of total world stock of shea trees, the federal government should adopt the shea tree for its various climate management programmes in states within the shea belt.

However, speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, over the weekend, Ike-Muonso, reaffirmed the council’s commitment to play its statutory role to support the actualisation of the objectives of the ban.

He noted that since his assumption of office, he had been advocating that raw materials should not be exported without adding at least 30 per cent value to them. 

He said the council also submitted a bill on the proposed policy to the National Assembly – which had passed third reading in the Senate, as well as gone through first reading in the House of Representatives.

The RMRDC chief executive said the federal government’s ban on shea nut exports was a “stamp on the goal we have been pursuing, because it is in the overall interest of the country”.

He said one of the immediate impacts of the federal government’s ban was Niger State’s offer of 10,000 hectares of land for shea plantations, adding that once developed, the country could become the world’s largest producer of shea nuts and derivatives.

He said, “Every Nigerian knows that instead of exporting volumes of raw materials, we should be exporting semi-processed or fully processed materials. That is what creates employment, strengthens our currency, and boosts our economy.

“When the federal government came up with this six-month suspension, we saw it as a test period. The question was: if it doesn’t succeed in the first six months, what happens? 

“For us at RMRDC, this is a challenge. This conference is to reassure Nigerians that, working together with the presidency, we will make this succeed and succeed properly.”

He stated that from RMRDC’s earlier studies, about one million metric tonnes of shea nuts are available from 21 states of the federation though existing data suggest about 350,000 tonnes.

He said over 90 per cent of the shea nut output is exported raw.

According to him, the export restrictions of raw shea nut was “not just a ban—it is a clarion call for Nigeria to stop exporting poverty and start exporting prosperity.”

He stressed that the council stands ready to drive the process, leveraging its statutory mandate, technical expertise, nationwide presence, and partnerships.

He said, “We are present in all 36 states, and all our coordinating offices are mobilised to ensure this decision achieves its objectives. 

“We invite all stakeholders to align with this vision so that within the six-month suspension window, Nigeria will emerge not as a supplier of raw shea, but as a global hub for shea value addition.”

Ike-Muonso, said, “The global demand for shea is very high, yet we have been throwing away opportunities by exporting raw shea nuts instead of adding value. This means losing potential foreign exchange and local jobs.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), in preparation for this event, we visited Salid Agriculture Nigeria Limited – the new shea nut refinery located in Kudu, Mokwa Local Government Area, Niger State.

“That is currently the biggest shea processing plant in Nigeria. Another one is coming up in Kwara, alongside smaller-scale processors, though their quality may not match the fully automated refinery. 

“The new facility has a production capacity of about 30 metric tonnes per day.

But the question is: how will one plant alone handle Nigeria’s entire shea nut output? That is why we must act strategically.”

The RMRDC boss also noted that the shea nuts ban didnt happen in a vacuum, stressing that the council had provided a groundwork to safeguard the sector. 

He said, “The presidency would not have simply woken up to make this pronouncement. There is groundwork, and RMRDC has played a critical role.”

He explained that the council had in 2019 published the strategic roadmap for the shea industry which was adequately contained in the publication titled, “Strategies for Transforming the Nigerian Shea Value”, a copy which was presented to THISDAY. 

The book, developed in collaboration with stakeholders, presented a five-year roadmap for the transformation of the entire shea value chain.

Among other initiatives, he said the council worked to upgrade indigenous technologies for shea processing, particularly for women cooperatives. 

According to him, RMRDC also had extensive capabilities in machine and technology development for raw material processing – help local women upgrade technologies for shea processing. 

He said, “Going forward, we plan to intensify production of such technologies across the 21 shea-producing states.”

He also revealed the council’s next line of action in the next six months.

The RMRDC boss said it will lead stakeholders to review the expired five-year roadmap to ensure adequate supply for processors.

The council will also conduct a nationwide mapping of shea trees—quantities, qualities, and varieties—since shea from Kwara differs from that in Sokoto, each with unique advantages. 

He said the mapping will guide investors, noting that preparations are underway with researchers and enumerators across the 21 producing states.

He also stated that the council will launch women’s cooperatives nationwide to improve collection and small-scale processing, to further ensure quality, safety, and access to finance through cooperative structures.

Ike-Muonso, also said it would work with government and agencies to deploy processing equipment at cluster levels, enabling smallholder operators to participate in the industry as well as support for shea plantations.

He said, “Beyond Niger’s 10,000 hectares, we will encourage other states to allocate land for shea plantations.

“We have developed a system to provide regular updates on capacity utilisation, jobs created, and foreign exchange saved, in order to encourage further supportive policies.

“Together, let us turn this bold decision into lasting transformation for our people, our economy, and our nation.”

Meanwhile, addressing journalists in Abuja, NASPAN President, Mohammed Ahmed Kontagora, the association also applauded the federal government’s ban on the export of shea nuts, and articulated its response to the development while offering insights and suggestions on policy harmonisation/implementation.

He maintained that although the six-month export ban was announced suddenly during the peak of seasonal transactions in shea nut harvest, processing, and trading, the step was a welcome decision that NASPAN fully supports. 

“It represents a paradigm shift in the regulation of shea resources, with the official integration of a critical economic product of wide domestic benefit and high export value. 

“The grounds of the ban—including boosting local processing capacity, curbing informal trade, job creation, rural economic transformation, sustainability for women pickers, and resource optimisation—are valid and justifiable, with tremendous potential for national economic growth,” he said.

On the policy impact, NASPAN noted that apart from the informed reasons already well articulated by the federal government, the ban can stem local price volatility as actors in the value chain review emerging realities to explore ways in which the policy enhances mutually beneficial trade relationships.

” Integrating shea into the Nigerian Commodity Exchange platform will also foster price stability, transparency and fair returns to farmers, women pickers, and processors.

“The policy signifies government’s readiness to formalize  shea trading and curtail informal trading, with huge economic losses arising from  undocumented cross-border trading, smuggling, and black-market practices.

“The new policy direction presents the opportunity to assess the capacity of local processors to establish the gap between their requirements, shortfalls or excesses that could be considered for export,” the association said.

He listed critical success factors of the six-month ban on export of shea nuts by the federal government.

“To achieve the desired impact, ensuring alignment with national goals and advancing the interest of actors across the value chain, we propose the following, but not limited actions:

“The Nigerian Customs Service should ensure effective policing of all borders, to avoid further perpetration of illegal trading.

“To ensure a coordinated oversight there is an urgent need for the creation of a Shea Marketing Board to regulate shea trading, particularly the prescription of minimum and maximum guaranteed  price  at the beginning of each trading season.

“A shea sector grant should be introduced to support existing and verified processors in expanding their offtake capacity from aggregators. 

“Development support should also include equipment grants, incentives, and capacity-building programs to strengthen local processing and competitiveness

“The Federal Government should  prevail on the National Assembly to immediately pass into law, the National Council on Shea initiated in the 9th National Assembly, providing appropriate governance and policy direction  for the sector

“For continuous growth, and to maintain the advantage that Nigeria has in holding about 58% of total world stock of shea trees, according to  a report of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 2005, the Federal Government should adopt the shea tree for its various climate management programs in states within the shea belt. 

“We urge the Federal Government to expedite interventions, funding, and resource direction towards Shea parkland regeneration and restoration, ensuring long-term sustainability and increased productivity. 

“This will not only ensure stability in the shea market but position Nigeria as the shea hub for domestic and international supplies,” NASPAN noted. 

NASPAN stated that its Shea Parkland Restoration and Afforestation Programme (SPARE), an initiative to plant 10 million shea trees over the next ten years, offers government the lynchpin for accelerating shea tree multiplication and sustained sectoral growth and national advantage. 

It urged the federal government to adopt this programme as part of strategic plan for shea resources and policy consolidation.

The post RMRDC DG Hails Shea Nuts Ban, Insists Raw Materials Should Not Be Exported Without 30% Value Addition  appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

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