Nigeria has over five million hectares of Shea trees, according to the country's minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono. However, the country is not adding value to the commodity locally, leading to significant foreign exchange losses as most of the Shea nuts are exported. The minister, who spoke at a training event on best practices in post-harvest handling of shea, emphasized the need for Nigeria to diversify its economy, reduce food importation, and expand income sources through agricultural exports. The training was designed to help Shea farmers adopt good agriculture practices and provide a critical view of the Shea Value Chain in Nigeria, with a focus on domesticing the Shea tree to reduce its gestation period.