POLITICAL Economy

NASPAN Launches 10 Million Shea Tree Planting Campaign

by admin on | 2026-07-31 19:43:01

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NASPAN Launches 10 Million Shea Tree Planting Campaign

By Abdullahi Muhammad, Abuja

The National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN) has announced plans to plant 10 million shea trees across the country over the next 10 years as part of efforts to protect the nation’s shea industry and sustain Nigeria’s position in the global market.

The President of NASPAN, Ahmed Kontagora, disclosed this during the flag-off of the 2026 Shea Trading Season in Bida, Niger State, North Central Nigeria.

The event also marked the commencement of a nationwide shea tree planting campaign and the training of shea aggregators aimed at improving product quality for the international market.

Kontagora said the large-scale tree planting initiative became necessary because many shea trees were being cut down for charcoal production without replacement. 

He warned that unless urgent action was taken to restore the trees, Nigeria could lose its position as one of the world’s leading producers of shea.

The NASPAN president explained that the training of aggregators was designed to ensure that shea products meet international quality standards, thereby increasing their competitiveness in the global export market.

Flagging off the 2026 Shea Trading Season, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who is also the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, cautioned against indiscriminate felling of trees.

Represented by the Kusodu Nupe, Manko Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe called on government at all levels to enforce environmental laws and ensure that offenders involved in illegal tree felling are punished.

The Chairman of Bida Local Government Council, Usman Mohammed Manko, represented by the Council Secretary, Abdullahi Yunusa, urged participants at the training to apply the knowledge acquired to improve productivity and promote the growth of the shea value chain.

Supporting the initiative are the Global Shea Alliance, the Nigeria Commodity Exchange, and the Niger State Commodity and Export Promotion Agency.

The Director-General of the Niger State Commodity and Export Promotion Agency, Fatima Ndayako, and a representative of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange, Khadijat Abdulazeez, said the Federal Government’s policy encouraging the export of shea products was already yielding positive results by creating new opportunities for producers and exporters.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Edusoko University, Tanko Suleiman, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to unlock the full potential of the shea sub-sector and boost its contribution to Nigeria’s economy.

The event ended with the symbolic planting of shea trees, signalling the beginning of the nationwide campaign to restore and expand Nigeria’s shea tree population.