Overview

• The ban takes immediate effect, with Vice President Kashim Shettima directing the Finance Ministry and other agencies to fast-track enforcement.
• A government rapid assessment found about 90,000 metric tonnes are lost each year to informal cross-border trade while processors run at only 35–50% of 160,000-tonne installed capacity.
• Officials project roughly $300 million in short-term annual earnings from added processing, with a target of a tenfold increase by 2027.
• Nigeria supplies nearly 40% of global shea nuts yet captures under 1% of the $6.5 billion shea-butter market.
• The policy is framed as boosting rural livelihoods and women’s economic empowerment, and officials say they are seeking market access for refined products, including prioritized entry into Brazil within three months.