The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Abba Bello, says Nigeria’s dominance in global shea nut production will only translate into economic gains if the country invests in large-scale industrial processing.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Salid Shea Butter Processing Plant in Kudu, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, Bello revealed that Nigeria currently produces about 60% of the world’s shea nuts, but most of the processing is still done manually by women, limiting value addition and global competitiveness.
He commended the partnership between Salid Agriculture Nigeria Limited, NEXIM Bank, and the Niger State Government to address this gap, pledging continued collaboration to develop the entire shea nut value chain.
The event also marked the formal unveiling of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s plan to plant 10 million shea trees across 10,000 hectares through Niger Foods. The initiative aims to guarantee a steady supply of shea nuts, create jobs for women and youths, and position Niger as the undisputed hub of shea production.
Governor Bago praised Salid Agriculture for establishing the plant, which has a 30,000 metric ton annual production capacity, describing it as a key driver of economic transformation in the state.
Salid Agriculture’s CEO, Ali Saidu, said the investment was designed to increase capacity utilisation, improve product quality, and enable Niger’s shea butter to compete on the global market.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi Sabi Abdullahi, lauded the project as a model of agricultural diversification, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic vision.
Other dignitaries, including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, called for protection of the investment and an end to indiscriminate tree felling.
The occasion also featured the signing of a ₦2 billion Memorandum of Understanding between Niger Foods and the Salid factory to provide direct employment for locals to harvest and supply shea nuts to the plant.
Governor Bago later toured the facility’s warehouse, solvent extraction base, and oil mills.
