Nigerian University to commence Exportation of Shea Butter

A tertiary institution in Nigeria, the University of Ilorin, located in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria, has disclosed plans to commence exportation of “multi-purpose” shea butter to improve the institution’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, disclosed this at a meeting with the Kwara State’s Coordinator of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Lydia Adewumi.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the department of chemistry has been tasked to anchor the project which seeks to improve the quality and shelf-life of shea butter.

The VC, who maintained that every agricultural product should be processed to add value, said his university was open to collaboration with the RMRDC to improve various value chains of agricultural commodities.

He also called on Nigerian universities to work on ways to improve the shelf-life of perishable farm produce to reduce post-harvest losses.

Speaking, Coordinator of the RMRDC in Kwara State explained that the council, as an agency of the Federal Government, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, has the mandate of promoting the development and utilization of Nigeria’s industrial raw materials.

Adewumi pledged support for the institution in its efforts to promote the shea butter value chain.

Recall that agricultural stakeholders have said Nigeria has the potential of generating $10 billion annually from the shea butter value chain.

The development was disclosed in a statement by the Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA) Communication Strategist, Ms Opeyemi Ologun, when a delegation from the agency embarked on a two-day tour to Niger State to understudy the shea butter value chain to empower the women of Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria.

According to the statement, Nigeria is estimated to produce about 500,000 metric tonnes of shea nuts annually with the potential of generating $10 billion per annum.

“Interestingly, Niger, Kogi and Kwara states contribute 57 percent to the shea butter value chain, while other states jointly contribute 43 percent,” the statement revealed.

Source: Agro Nigeria