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- As country accounts for 52% of world shea trees
From Okwe Obi Abuja
President of the National Shea Products Association of Nigeria, Mohammed Ahmed Kontagora, has said Nigeria would champion 10 million shea tree planting in West Africa, before 2030.
Kontagora, who is a member of the Executive Committee of Global Shea Alliance, stated this yesterday at the Shea 2024 Abuja Conference and Call to Action for Shea Parklands.
He decried the declining number of Shea trees as a result of rural dwellers’ use for charcoal and to manufacture furniture.
According to him, Nigeria accounts for 52% of world concentration of Shea trees, adding that the value currently is about $2.7 billion dollar.
He said: “There is a call for action especially on the Shea Parkland. Our target is see that in 2030, at least 10 million Shea trees would have been planted.
“It is for us to plant for the future. Shea tree is now an engendered specie in Africa –people keep cutting Shea tree for numerous activities. Some for charcoal, some for mortar and the demand for Shea keeps increasing on a daily basis.
So, we feel that it should not be out of the market or the Shea tree to go into extinction.”
He added: “We must plant and work hard especially women at the grassroots. In Nigeria and in the farming system, we know that the men own the farmlands. We have our forestry that is owned by the various state governments.
“We will work with government institutions, private sector to ensure that we plant more trees. In fact we at the national level, we want to plant 10 million shea trees in Nigeria.
“We have the states, land and women working very hard and the private sector to work with us. We are hoping, we are planning that as Nigeria we can achieve the goal of the Global Shea Alliance.”
“Presently Nigeria accounts for 52% of world concentration of shea trees. As at yesterday, the value currently is about $2.7 billion dollar. So, if we are to take 52% we are missing over $1.5 billion.
“So, it means that we need to work hard with the various institutions responsible so that they can support us to collect data, work with the women and give it the attention it deserves.
“This is the right time because now in Nigeria we are looking for foreign reserve. I can tell you that given the necessary support, we can achieve it.
“Definitely, we will create employment revitalize the rural economy and generate the much needed forex to Nigeria.
“The call for action has just been launched today. We at this meeting we have set up a target in which if we can export 1 million tons of shea butter at $2 per ton, it means we can generate $2 billion. Currently we are exporting 400,000 metric tonnes.
“So, the goal of achieving the 1 million metric tonnes is achievable so long as we get the support from government. In the past we did not have large processing factories in Nigeria.
“But today with the support of NEXIM Bank who funded a lot of factories and we have new facilities across the country that are into production, I believe harnessing that resources and working very hard with other financial institutions, we will achieve that goal.”
