As part of the country’s commitment to harnessing the economic potential of shea production which aligns with Nigeria’s broader strategy of diversifying its economy and boosting non-oil exports, the National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN) says it has set mechanisms in place to increase exports of shea products from 400,000 metric tons to one million metric tons annually.
According to Daily Trust, President of NASPAN, Ahmed Mohammed Kontagora, stated this yesterday in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Global Shea Alliance conference which had the theme, “Bridging the Gap”. Kontagora said the global body has just signed a call of action of Shea Parkland to plant 10 million shea trees to address the shortages currently involved globally.
He said, “Nigeria accounts for 25 per cent concentration of shea trees globally and we want to tackle the challenge of indiscriminate felling of shea trees, especially in West and East Africa as many people use the trees for charcoal and other domestic activities instead of its major function. “Our target now is that we want to increase exports from the current 400,000 metric tons to 1 million metric tons which will earn the country foreign exchange in excess of $2 billion. We have the market and everything it takes so it is achievable,” he explained.
