Nigeria Launches $1 Billion Plan to End Sugar Imports

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has launched the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan 2.0, a strategic initiative to eliminate the country's $1 billion annual expenditure on sugar imports. The council aims to produce approximately two million metric tonnes of sugar locally while expanding the sector into a bio-industrial ecosystem that produces ethanol, animal feed, and electricity.

To fund this transition, the NSDC secured a $1 billion engineering, procurement, construction, and financing partnership with the Chinese conglomerate China National Machinery Industry Corporation. Additionally, the council established a ₦10 billion Sugar Project Acceleration Fund with the Bank of Industry to finance feasibility studies and prepare bankable projects. The strategy also includes the Sugarcane Outgrower Development Programme to integrate smallholder farmers into the industrial chain.

Executive Secretary Kamar Bakrin stated that the council is shifting focus from policy formulation to execution, addressing historical governance failures. To ensure compliance, the NSDC is redesigning its Backward Integration Programme to use satellite imagery and physical inspections to verify that companies receiving import quotas are making genuine domestic investments. The council is also collaborating with the Chartered Institute of Directors to strengthen corporate governance across sugar estates and mills.