Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, says the ministry will present Bola Tinubu with an objective and comprehensive briefing on the decision regarding a possible extension of the controversial ban on raw shea nut exports.
Speaking in Abuja at a Stakeholder Validation Session on the Raw Shea Nut Ban, the Minister emphasised the need to balance industrialisation, trade expansion, and investment inflows as the country pursues its ambitious $1 trillion economy target.
“We have women from Nassarawa, we have large processors, we have smaller processors, we have the pickers, the entire value chain, the aggregators, the exporters, It’s important that we balance the nuances of industrialization, of trading, and of course of bringing in investment to hit the $1 trillion economy.
“Mr. The President has entrusted us with item number 7 in the Renewed Hope Agenda, of diversifying this economy, of increasing non-oil exports, of moving industrialisation.
“These are things that sometimes appear to be in conflict with each other, but in actuality there is no conflict, because as Nigerians we all have one single goal, to make our economy grow, to bring prosperity to our people,” she explained.
READ ALSO:Nigerian’s Can Earn $300m Annually From Shea Trade – VP Shettima
The Minister assured stakeholders including processors, exporters, aggregators and rural women that their submissions would be transparently reviewed and presented to the President without bias.
Passionate Appeal
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh made a passionate appeal for sustaining the ban on raw shea nut exports, stating that the policy is already boosting local processing capacity and attracting fresh industrial interest.
Enoh said early indicators show growth in domestic processing since the restriction was introduced.
“As Minister in charge of industry, there are people who want to set up processing plants who are in touch with me, but they are being anxious what is going to happen after the expiration of the ban,” he said.
He argued that restricting raw exports would ultimately compel international buyers to establish processing plants within Nigeria, thereby creating jobs and deepening value addition.
“If they don’t find anything more, they will come here and set up processing plants. That is the way things work, because the processor who sets up a plant is providing job employment opportunities. And that is key for this administration,” he added.
Also, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, called for a transparent, evidence-based review of the raw shea nut export ban, insisting that future decisions must be guided by verifiable data rather than vested interests.
Kyari acknowledged that the policy was introduced abruptly but maintained that the government remains open to objective reassessment.
“The government is not out there to punish its people, it’s out there to make lives worthwhile, improve livelihoods of people,” he said.
With the six-month restriction nearing expiration, Kyari urged stakeholders to assess its real impact holistically before advising President Bola Tinubu on the way forward.
He stressed that Nigeria must rethink its long-standing reliance on exporting raw commodities without local value addition.