The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has entered into strategic agreements with four operators to establish greenfield sugar projects expected to produce a combined 400,000 tonnes of sugar annually.
According to the NSDC, this initiative marks a new phase in Nigeria’s ambitious drive to significantly reduce its heavy dependence on sugar imports and achieve full domestic self-sufficiency.
Announcing the development in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Council, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, revealed that the agreements were part of a targeted plan to strengthen local production and slash the country’s import bill. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Nigeria spent over N2.2 trillion on sugar imports within the past five years.
Under the new arrangement, each of the four selected operators will establish a facility with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes in key agricultural zones:
Brent Foods – Oyo State
Niger Foods – Niger State
Legacy Sugar – Adamawa State
UMZA – Bauchi State
Mr. Bakrin explained that the projects’ geographic distribution—from the southwest to the northeast—was a deliberate strategy to harness diverse agricultural conditions and spread economic benefits across multiple regions.
The agreements, signed at the NSDC headquarters in Abuja, will see the Council provide tailored project development support and cover critical service costs to ensure each venture attains commercial viability.
Beyond the production targets, the initiative is expected to deliver wide-ranging socio-economic benefits. Each facility will create significant employment opportunities, particularly in rural communities, stimulate local infrastructure development, and open up both upstream and downstream economic activities.
Bakrin emphasised that the regional spread of the projects aligns with the Council’s commitment to reducing economic disparity between regions while accelerating Nigeria’s sugar industry growth.
