By Thompson Yamput
The National Shea Products Association of Nigeria on Monday rated Kogi the second best in quality Shea products in the country.
A statement issued in Lokoja by Miss Opeyemi Ologun, Communication Strategist of Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA), said the association announced this during its national conference.
Ologun said that Kogi was named the best in quality Shea products after Niger at the conference geared towards shea promotion in Nigeria.
“The association didn’t hide its gladness over the role Kogi is playing in the production of quality Shea for the industrial sector and citizens of Nigeria.
“The conference was a strategic initiative of the association to enhance the visibility of Shea, promote its value, scale up its performance in the national and international markets, track emerging issues, bolster peer parity and attract local and foreign investment.
“Shea export market from West Africa has, in the last 2 years, increased by 300 per cent and 21 African (East and West) countries account for more than 80 per cent of Shea origin for export to Europe and U.S.
“Global Shea Alliance (GSA) members have doubled their investment in Shea development for various industries as inputs or additives in production line for confectioneries and pharmaceutical products”, she said.
The KEDA strategist explained that some of the strategic issues highlighted at the conference include; introduction and development of Shea, development policy and unambiguous definition.
Others are identification and establishment of private Parklands, creation and categorization of stakeholders in Shea value chain to include women cooperatives and nuts collectors as micro/small entrepreneurs, exploring partnership to develop Shea markets and enhance knowledge transfer among others.
She named the participants at the conference to include representatives of Niger State Commodities & Export Promotion Agency, Commodities Experts Department from the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment (FMITI), Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigeria and NICERT Ltd. (Quality and Standard Firm).
Others are Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Global Shea Alliance, Commodity Development Initiative (CDI), Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), and Nigeria Export Promotion Council.
Shea products include shea butter, shea oil and shea mosturising products, among others.
High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins make shea butter an ideal cosmetic ingredient for softening skin.
Shea butter also has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Using shea butter on your body, especially your face, can condition, tone, and soothe skin.(NAN)
