President Bola Tinubu has approved a one-year extension of the ban on the export of raw shea nuts, pushing the restriction to February 25, 2027. The measure is designed to force a shift from exporting unprocessed commodities to building a stronger, value-added shea industry within Nigeria.

The decision comes just hours before the initial six-month ban was due to lapse. That earlier prohibition took effect on August 26, 2025, as part of a broader push to curb the outflow of raw agricultural materials and stimulate domestic processing.

In a statement announcing the extension, presidential adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the policy is central to the administration’s industrialisation drive and its Renewed Hope economic agenda. He explained that the ban is intended to deepen local processing capacity, improve incomes in shea-producing communities, and reposition Nigeria’s exports around finished and semi-finished products rather than raw nuts.

To coordinate the policy, President Tinubu has mandated the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit to develop and implement a unified, evidence-based national framework for the shea value chain. The framework is expected to align industrial, trade and investment priorities, from farm-level production to processing, storage, and export.

The president also approved the adoption of an export framework designed by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange. Under this arrangement, all existing waivers that previously allowed direct export of raw shea nuts are to be withdrawn. Any surplus raw shea that cannot be absorbed by domestic processors will be exported only through the Nigerian Commodity Exchange, and strictly in line with approved guidelines.

Onanuga added that Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Finance to open access to a dedicated NESS Support Window. This will enable the trade and investment ministry to pilot a Livelihood Finance Mechanism aimed at strengthening both production and processing capacity, particularly for smallholder farmers and local processors who dominate the shea sector.

The presidency stressed that the federal government remains committed to policies that promote inclusive growth, expand local manufacturing, and position Nigeria as a competitive player in global agricultural value chains, with shea products seen as a strategic export with high potential in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.