Nigeria produces mostly brown and white sesame seeds. The major sesame-producing regions in Nigeria are the northeast and the north-central parts of the country. Sesame seeds can be difficult to dry and clean after harvesting due to their small size. Given that, seeds need to be hulled and separated for them to be cleaned, smaller or off-sized seeds are removed and then used for production purposes. Nigeria is the 7th highest producer and exporter of both shelled and unshelled sesame seed worldwide.

Sesame seeds are highly regarded as an excellent source of high-quality oils. Sesame oil is considered stable and free from undesirable nutrition or flavor components. Research has shown that sesame oil has a natural antioxidant that prevents ageing and is vital for the production of liver cells. Sesame oil is very rich in protein, and its protein has an amino acid profile and good nutritional value similar to soybean.