Nigeria’s shea policy shift gains global recognition at global shea alliance conference

Nigeria’s ongoing push for local processing and value addition within the shea industry is gaining increasing global recognition, following the emergence of a Nigerian as President of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) Executive Committee and the inauguration of three other Nigerians as members of the Executive Committee.

The development was announced at the 2026 Global Shea Alliance Conference in Accra, Ghana, where policymakers, processors, investors, exporters, development institutions, and private sector stakeholders gathered to advance discussions around sustainability, trade, industrialisation, and investment across the shea value chain.

Ali Saidu, CEO of Salid Agricultural Ltd., emerged as President of the GSA Executive Committee, while Amaka Kolawole, Director of Business Development and Corporate Affairs at AAK; Mohammed Kontagora, President of NASPAN; and Yosola Onanuga, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at TGI Group, were inaugurated as members of the Executive Committee.

The appointments further reinforce Nigeria’s growing relevance within the global shea industry and reflect increasing recognition of the country’s evolving role in driving value addition across the sector.

The growing visibility of Nigerian stakeholders within the Alliance comes at a time when the country’s recent policy direction on restricting the export of raw shea nuts is increasingly reshaping conversations around local processing, traceability, and long-term value retention within producing countries.

Speaking at the conference, the newly elected President, Ali Saidu, noted that the shea industry is witnessing stronger collaboration across the value chain, with increasing opportunities for enterprise growth, regional trade, financing, and value-added production.

“The shea sector is evolving rapidly, and there is growing recognition that producing countries must play a stronger role beyond raw material supply,” he said.

“To unlock the full economic potential of the industry, we must continue building stronger partnerships, improving access to finance for SMEs, and investing in local processing capacity that enables African countries to retain more value within the region.”

Commenting on the development, Yosola Onanuga noted that recent developments have strengthened global confidence in Nigeria’s commitment to building a more structured and traceable shea ecosystem.

“We are beginning to see stronger alignment across governments, processors, development institutions, and global buyers around the need to retain more value within producing countries,” she said.

“For Nigeria, this creates an opportunity not only to improve processing capacity, but also to strengthen traceability, quality standards, and long-term sustainability across the value chain.”

The conference reinforced the growing importance of collaboration between governments, development partners, and private sector operators in accelerating value addition and strengthening Africa’s position within the global shea industry.

Stakeholders noted that increasing investment in local processing, enterprise development, and regional trade could help shift the sector from raw commodity dependence toward a more integrated and value-driven industrial ecosystem.