Niger to Generate more Funds via Processing of Shea Nuts

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State government has taken steps to generate more funds and create employment through the processing of Shea nuts for domestic and international markets.

At the moment, Nigeria is not exporting the commodity because its processing was said to be below the internationally acceptable standards.

The state Commissioner for Commerce and Investment, Hajia Ramatu Yar’Adua, said part of the steps taken by government to improve the quality of Shea nuts and its processing is the establishment of the Niger State Shea Sector Development Programme (NSSSDP) to train young university graduates on how to change the present archaic practice in the picking and processing of the nuts.

Speaking at the commencement of the programme in Minna Thursday, the commissioner who was represented by the Director General, Commodity and Export Promotion Agency, Hajia Zaynab Halilu, said the NSSSDP would be private sector driven and would work with two international organisations responsible for certification of exported Shea nuts and its processed materials.

“Government has gone into partnership with this programme because we cannot watch our God given resource being siphoned by some business men and women because of the inaction of governments in the past,” she said.

Details later…