By George O. Sylveste
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a one‑year extension of the ban on exporting raw shea nuts in a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s domestic processing capacity and driving value addition. The decision, announced on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, was issued from the State House in Abuja and comes just as the initial ban, first imposed in August 2025, was due to expire.
Under the renewed policy, the export prohibition will now run from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027, reinforcing the administration’s broader industrialisation agenda under its Renewed Hope framework.
The extension directs that raw shea nut exports be channelled exclusively through a framework established by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange (NCX), with all previous waivers allowing direct exports withdrawn.
Nigeria is one of the world’s largest producers of shea nuts (the raw material for shea butter, widely used in cosmetics and food products) and the policy reflects ongoing efforts to increase value‑added exports rather than rely on unprocessed commodities.
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