Stakeholders at
Shea Conference organised by Shea Origin, US Aid and Bank of Industry in Abuja
recently have highlighted the $3.8billion export potential of the Nigerian Shea
industry.
The conference was
geared at emphasizing and identifying the significant role of Shea in
agribusiness.
The conference also emphasized the need for standardizing and developing Nigeria’s Shea value chain as a critical arm of the nation’s non-oil export.
The conference was
organized by Shea Origin with immense support from the USAID|Nigeria Expanded
Trade and Transport (NEXTT) project and Bank of Industry (BOI) in conjunction
with National Shea Product Association of Nigeria (NASPAN).
The need for the
conference was borne out of recent assertion by the Global Shea Alliance (a
multi-stakeholder association committed to quality and sustainability of the
Shea industry) that Nigeria’s estimated yearly loss to smuggling of exportable
Shea produce to the global market is about N345 billion ($2.2 billion).
“This enormous loss
to smuggling is undermining efforts to translate benefits of Shea production to
national advantage, hence the need to standardize this arm of Nigeria’s non-oil
export which can have tremendous impact on the economy and lives of rural women
that are involved in Shea production” said Mrs Mobola Sagoe, MD/CEO of Shea
Origin and Vice-President of NASPAN.
- See more at: http://www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/news/stakeholders-at-shea-conference-discuss-38bn-nigeria-export-potentials
