Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has urged Nigeria and other African nations to enhance the quality of their shea exports.
Nigeria, a leading shea producer with approximately five million hectares of shea trees spread across 21 states, has been identified as a key player in this sector.
Despite the evident benefits and potential of shea production, Okonjo-Iweala noted that the current quality of the product does not meet the required sanitary and phytosanitary standards for export. Shea is a significant agricultural export for over eight WTO member countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, and Togo. In 2022, Ghana’s shea butter exports alone were valued at over $92 million, with over one million women participating in this sector.
However, much of the sector’s potential remains untapped due to the inability of many countries to meet the necessary export standards. Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the need to look beyond farming and processing for butter in the shea value chain and explore manufacturing more finished shea products in Africa.
The WTO has been assisting Nigeria and other countries in improving their shea product exports, recognizing the positive impact this could have on the economies of these nations.
