President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the ban on the export of raw shea nuts, maintaining the restriction from Wednesday, February 25, 2026, to Thursday, February 25, 2027.
The directive, announced on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, stated that the extension is intended to strengthen domestic processing capacity, encourage value addition and support industrial development within the shea value chain.
As part of the approval, all waivers previously granted for the direct export of raw shea nuts have been withdrawn.
Any excess supply designated for export must now be channelled exclusively through the framework established by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange (NCX), in accordance with approved guidelines.
The President also authorized the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, working with the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit, to coordinate the implementation of a unified national framework aligning industrialization, trade and investment priorities across the shea sector.
READ ALSO:Â Tinubu Orders Temporary Ban on Raw Shea Nut Export
In addition, the Federal Ministry of Finance was directed to provide access to a dedicated Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme support window to enable the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to pilot a Livelihood Finance Mechanism aimed at strengthening production and processing capacity.
Shea nuts are harvested from shea trees widely found in Nigeria’s savanna belt and serve as the primary raw material for shea butter.
The processed butter is used in cosmetics, food production and other industrial applications.
According to the statement, processed shea butter commands significantly higher market value than raw nuts.
The Federal Government said the measure forms part of its policy framework to promote local manufacturing and deepen participation in agricultural value chains.