An International Shea nut company, The Global Shea nut Alliance, has indicated interest to establish a Shea nut industry in Kwara state, opening the prospect of jobs for thousands of people in the state.

The state government has in turn promised to mobilize available resources to enhance the development of the industry in the state.

The company gave the indication when a delegation of Global Shea nut Industry paid a courtesy visit to Government House in Ilorin, the state capital.

Receiving the delegation in his office on behalf of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on Wednesday, the state Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kisira, said that the state has put in place investor-friendly policies to stimulate industrial growth in the state.

Kisira, who described the establishment of Shea nut industry in the state as a step in the right direction, disclosed that Kwara was the second largest producer of Shea nut in the country and expressed optimism that the coming of the industry would not only improve the economic potential of the state but also create job opportunities for its teeming youth.

The Deputy Governor stated further that the state government has identified and grouped Shea nut producers into cooperatives with a view to enhancing skills in production.

Earlier in his speech, the leader of the Global Shea nut Alliance, who doubles as the Secretary of National Shea Produce Association, Mr Jubril Kali Usman, said the visit was in preparation for the annual international conference of the body scheduled to hold in Lagos in March this year.

Mr. Usman disclosed that over 17 million jobs had been created by the industry across the globe, adding that Kwara State with abundant natural and human resources must utilize the potentials to improve its economy.

While emphasizing the need to for the state to collaborate with Global Shea nut Alliance company, Usman revealed that countries like Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo and some others had begun to reap the benefit of investing in the Shea nut industry.
He stated that the company, when fully established, would create thousands of jobs for the unemployed youth in the state.