Nigeria has reinforced its growing influence in the global shea industry following the appointment of four Nigerians into the Executive Committee of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), as stakeholders intensify calls for increased local processing, enterprise growth and regional trade across Africa’s shea value chain.
The appointments were announced during the 2026 Global Shea Alliance Conference held in Accra, Ghana, where policymakers, investors, processors, exporters, development institutions and private-sector operators converged to discuss sustainability, industrialisation and financing opportunities within the sector.
Emerging as President of the Global Shea Alliance Executive Committee was the Chief Executive Officer of Salid Agricultural Ltd, Ali Saidu, while Director of Business Development and Corporate Affairs at AAK, Amaka Kolawole; President of the National Shea Products Association of Nigeria, Mohammed Kontagora; and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at TGI Group, Yosola Onanuga, also secured appointments into the committee.
The appointments have been widely viewed as a major boost for Nigeria’s position within the global shea market, especially as the country continues to promote policies aimed at strengthening local processing and retaining more value within producing countries.
Stakeholders at the conference noted that Nigeria’s recent policy direction restricting the export of raw shea nuts had continued to shape global conversations around traceability, industrial processing and long-term value retention in Africa’s shea-producing nations.
Speaking during the conference, Saidu said the shea industry was witnessing stronger collaboration across the value chain alongside expanding opportunities for enterprise development and regional trade.
He stated that producing countries must move beyond supplying raw materials and begin to take more strategic positions within the industry’s value chain.
“The shea sector is evolving rapidly, and there is growing recognition that producing countries must play a stronger role beyond raw material supply.
“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,” Saidu said.
He further explained that increased investment in processing infrastructure and financing for small and medium-scale enterprises would help African producers transition from exporting raw commodities to building competitive value-added industries.
Commenting on the development, Onanuga said ongoing reforms and industry-led initiatives had strengthened international confidence in Nigeria’s commitment to building a more structured, sustainable 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.
“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,” she said.
Participants at the conference also stressed the importance of deeper collaboration among governments, development institutions and private-sector operators to accelerate industrialisation and value addition across Africa’s shea industry.
They noted that sustained investment in enterprise development, regional trade and local processing would help reposition the sector from dependence on raw commodity exports to a more integrated industrial ecosystem driven by value-added production.
