For Nigeria to benefit from a projected value and production of shea at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.1 per cent by 2030 which represents $5.8 billion, stakeholders have called for the protection of shea trees nationwide.
  
Making the submission at the 2024 Shea conference organised by the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), they noted that protecting shea trees would also enhance the income generating potential of rural African women, warning that imperiled conditions for shea trees jeopardise global supply.
  
The Emir of Keffi Kingdom, Nasarawa State, Dr Shehu Yamusa, regretted that despite the seeming abundance of shea products in markets and on beauty counters globally, little known threats to shea trees were looming.
  
Warning that the local causes and consequences of felling shea trees could reverberate internationally, Yamusa noted that global demand for shea butter was driven by its value as an edible fat that could be used in chocolate, as well as in skin, hair and other personal care products.

He said: “Rural women collect its nuts and process them to make shea butter, a significant source of income where there are few other options. The shea tree shares field space with staple food crops, providing ecosystem services of erosion control, groundwater recharge and leaf mulch.

  
“The local causes and consequences of felling shea trees can reverberate internationally, market projections predict continued growth in exports of shea nuts and butter to Europe and North America, with new markets developing in East Asia over the next five years.”
  
Executive Director, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, who noted that exportation of raw agricultural products, including shea, was depriving the nation of the much-needed foreign exchange, said value-added products earn premium prices in the international market.
  
“Therefore, there is a need for quality and relevant certification to be obtained before exportation in order to avoid rejects.” Ayeni added.
According to him, under the Domestic Export Warehousing System, the NEPC is poised to establish more shea aggregation centres to serve as a one-stop facility for shea aggregation.
  
A strategy, he noted, is expected to reduce the challenges encountered by exporters prior to shipment, reduce spoilage and poor handling of shea products and ensure conformity to required standards.
  
On her part, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, who noted the present administration’s commitment towards building sound regulatory environment and enhanced support structures for women and youths in business, said the government was also making efforts to tackle some of the challenges faced by the shea industry in Nigeria.