Shea Butter Export from Nigeria Explained: Prices and Process

Nigeria is among the world’s largest producers of shea, and shea butter — prized by the global cosmetics and food industries — is a valuable export. Much of the work is done by women’s cooperatives, and the product sells in dollars, linking rural income to the naira through the exchange rate.

From nut to export

• Collection — shea nuts gathered across the savannah belt.
• Processing — nuts pressed and refined into butter.
• Export — sold to cosmetics and food buyers in dollars.

Adding value at home

Exporting refined butter rather than raw nuts captures more of the dollar value — the same value-added logic that lifts cashew export and ginger export. A fair conversion on proceeds keeps more of that value in naira, and export finance can fund processing and inventory.