Non-oil exports: NEPC reiterates commitment to position shea products in global market

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), says it is committed to strengthening prospects, potential and opportunities of the shea sector for export growth.

Ezra Yakusak, executive director and chief executive officer (CEO), NEPC, said this on Wednesday at the official inauguration of the shea export development programme (2022-2025) in Abuja.

Yakusak said the programme was one of NEPC’s collaborations with the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI), Netherlands on value chain development of priority non-oil export products.

He added that an earlier partnership with CBI was on the export market development programme for SMEs exporters in three value chains; cocoa, cashew and sesame; and also the ongoing Nigeria sustainability ginger programme (2021-2025).

According to him, the inauguration of the shea project was in line with the federal government’s diversification agenda for non-oil export development.

“This project will focus on critical stakeholders and the intervention will contribute to making a paradigm shift from the export of raw unprocessed shea nuts to higher value-added shea products,” the NEPC boss said.

“The aspiration is to uniquely position shea products in the enormous global market which is driven by important factors such as rising consumer awareness, increasing demand for natural and organic cosmetics without preservatives and chemicals.”

Yakusak further said the council, in line with its mandate, had been supporting the development of the shea industry in Nigeria from farm gate to international markets.

According to him, the council, through the standards and trade development facility (STDF) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has implemented the STDF project 172 on expanding the exports of sesame seeds and shea nuts and butter.

“This is through improved sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) capacity building for the private and public sectors,” he said.

“Nigeria’s shea products visibly demonstrate a plethora of exotic diversified range from good grade, healthy products to an aura of premium pharmaceutical skin care oils and lip balm.

“Others are innovative children care products and high-quality butter that are visibly known and sought after in the export market.

“A lot is currently being done by NEPC to provide packaging solutions to small-scale stakeholders to expedite their product penetration into the huge export market.”

Yakusak also said processing facilities have been established in four centres as part of the sustainability component of the project and to scale-up the knowledge acquired under the initiative.

This, according to him, has led to the proliferation of best practices, traceability and investments in both small and large processing facilities across the country.

He further assured stakeholders of NEPC’s proactive response in ensuring that they benefitted from the emergence and continuous demand for sustainable environment friendly and healthy products.

On his part, Lawal Dalhatu, director, policy and strategy, NEPC, said projects under the collaborations had been impactful as the SMEs involved were players in the international market, specifically, the European market.

Dalhatu said the success recorded in the initial programmes necessitated the strengthening of capacity as well as improving the lots of operators in the shea sector.

“This intervention, we believe, will necessitate increased value and diversified markets through sustainability, improved quality, certification, organic production and refined processing,” Dalhatu said.