The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has announced plans to carry out partial mapping of shea nut trees across Nigeria’s 19 northern states, as well as Oyo and Kwara, in response to the federal government’s recent directive on raw shea nut exports.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier approved a six-month suspension of raw shea nut exports. The measure is intended to discourage informal trading, promote local processing, and strengthen Nigeria’s shea value chain.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, RMRDC Director-General, Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, explained that the mapping exercise will determine the number of shea trees available, their quality, and the extent of value chain support in each state.
He welcomed the government’s ban, noting that it supports the council’s long-standing call for value addition before raw materials are exported. According to him, Nigeria is home to millions of shea trees, with some states recording production levels as high as one million metric tonnes.
“To support the ban, RMRDC plans to conduct a special mapping of shea trees in the country, based on quantity and quality,” he said. “This will provide investors with the necessary information to make informed decisions about investing in the shea processing industry.”
The Director-General also revealed plans to establish a national women’s cooperative cluster that will train women in safe collection and best practices for processing shea nuts. He further noted that the council is partnering with government agencies and stakeholders to provide small-scale operators with processing equipment at cluster levels.
Highlighting concerns over the growing threat to shea nut trees due to high demand for charcoal and mortar production, Ike-Muonso described the ban as a timely move, stressing that it offers Nigeria the chance to “stop exporting poverty and start exporting prosperity.”
He confirmed that the council had drawn up a five-year roadmap for the shea industry, covering strategies to expand local processing, improve technology, train rural women, and support plantation development. A monitoring framework will also be put in place to regularly brief the presidency on progress.
“The RMRDC is confident that with these initiatives, Nigeria can emerge as a global hub for shea value addition, creating jobs, generating foreign exchange, and contributing to the country’s economic growth,” he added.
