Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has extended a ban on the export of raw shea nuts for a further one year.
Tinubu extended the ban to Feb. 25, 2027, saying the decision aims to deepen processing capacity within Nigeria, enhance livelihoods in shea-producing communities, and promote the growth of Nigerian exports anchored on value-added products, according to a State House statement late Wednesday.
Nigeria imposed a six-month temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts on Aug. 26, 2025.
Tinubu has authorized the implementation of “a unified, evidence-based national framework that aligns industrialization, trade, and investment priorities across the shea nut value chain,” the statement said.
Shea nuts, harvested from the shea tree common in the Savanna belt of Nigeria, are the raw material for shea butter, renowned for its moisturising, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
The extracted butter is a principal ingredient in cosmetics for skin and hair, as well as in edible cooking oil. The Nigerian 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.