News Agriculture

Nigerian shea industry seeks grace period before export ban

Nigerian shea industry seeks grace period before export ban
Monday, 08 September 2025 06:19
  • Shea producers ask government for 90-day delay on export ban.
  • Existing contracts worth billions of nairas at risk from sudden halt.
  • Sector warns of illegal trade if Nigeria lags behind regional policies.

The National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN) is urging the government to grant a 90-day grace period before enforcing the planned ban on shea nut exports. The request, reported by local daily Independent on September 6, was made by NASPAN president Mohammed Kotagora.

According to the association, such a delay would give traders and collectors time to fulfill existing export contracts valued at several billion nairas. Kotagora said the sudden announcement has created serious disruptions for collectors. Those with legally binding contracts signed before the policy change should be allowed to complete them under a regulated framework.

The government’s goal is to push the industry toward local processing, but NASPAN stressed that the transition must not jeopardize producer incomes. To support the policy shift, the group also recommended creating a Shea Marketing Board to regulate prices, offering subsidies to processors, enacting a National Shea Council law to structure the sector, tightening border controls to curb smuggling, and including shea in climate management programs due to its ecological value.

Nigeria remains behind other major producers such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali in price regulation and sector organization. Since 2024, six of the world’s seven largest shea producers in West Africa, including Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, have suspended nut exports to encourage local processing and capture more value. Without coordinated measures, wide variations in raw nut prices could fuel illegal trade across borders.

On the same topic
Société sucrière du Cameroun (Sosucam), a subsidiary of France's Castel group, invested 2.5 billion FCFA (about $4.5 million) in a new sugar...
Import permits halted; existing approvals valid for two months Move follows regional efforts to support domestic rice markets Burkina Faso...
(AGRA) - Agricultural leaders and digital transformation experts are calling for a fundamental shift in rural advisory services, moving from...
The world lost 4.3 million hectares of primary tropical forest in 2025, down 36% from 2024. Brazil drove the improvement, cutting forest loss to 1.63...
Most Read
01

Mediterrania Capital bought Australian Amcor's Moroccan packaging unit Enko Capital took ov...

Two Other African-focused Private Equity Firms to Snap Up assets shed by Global Majors
02

Enko Capital acquires Servair’s fast-food unit in Côte d’Ivoire, including the Burger King franchi...

Enko Capital Buys Burger King Côte d’Ivoire in Servair Restructuring
03

Standard Chartered arranges $2.33 billion for Tanzania railway project Funding support...

Tanzania Secures $2.33 Billion in Syndicated Financing for Standard Gauge Railway
04

Central bank to release $1 billion in cash to curb black market demand Move aims to ease inf...

Libya Opens Dollar Sales to Ease Pressure on Dinar and Prices
05

From eastern Chad, where measles and meningitis are spreading through overcrowded refugee camps, to ...

Weekly Health Update | Vaccination Gains Advance in Africa; Antimalarial Resistance Threatens Progress
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.