NSDC signs four greenfield sugar deals to produce 400,000 tonnes annually

• Each sugar facility will produce 100,000 tonnes annually, boosting rural employment and stimulating local economies across four Nigerian states.
• Council to provide customised project development support, covering critical service costs to ensure commercial viability of the sugar ventures.

The National Sugar Development Council (NDDC) has signed agreements with four operators to develop greenfield sugar projects with a combined capacity of 400,000 tonnes annually.

The council said the move was part of efforts to cut Nigeria’s sugar import bill and achieve self-sufficiency in local production.

The executive secretary and chief executive officer of the council, Kamar Bakrin, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria spent over N2.2tn on sugar imports over a five-year period.

Under the deal, each operator will develop a 100,000-tonne facility across the country’s agricultural belt.

The projects include Brent Foods in Oyo State, Niger Foods in Niger State, Legacy Sugar in Adamawa State, and UMZA in Bauchi State.

Bakrin said, “The geographic spread from Nigeria’s southwest to northeast reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage diverse agricultural conditions and distribute economic benefits across regions.”

He added that the agreements, signed at the council’s headquarters, represented a major expansion of Nigeria’s sugar sector ambitions.

According to him, the council will provide customised project development support and cover critical service costs to ensure the ventures’ commercial viability.

Bakrin noted that the projects would generate jobs, develop infrastructure, and create value chain opportunities in rural communities.

He stressed that the success of the ventures would depend on effective project support from the council and the operators’ ability to execute.

The initiative is part of the federal government’s industrial policy under President Bola Tinubu, which prioritises import substitution and local value addition.