NSDC's $2.1B Savings Plan to Boost Nigeria's Sugar Production

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), under the leadership of Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Mr Kamar Bakrin, announced that Nigeria could save approximately $2.1 billion in foreign exchange annually through its greenfield sugar projects as part of a 10-year sugar self-sufficiency programme. This initiative is expected to create 110,000 direct and indirect jobs and enhance the livelihoods of over one million individuals across the sugar value chain.

During a presentation in Abuja, Bakrin detailed that the programme includes 10 greenfield projects, which have advanced beyond the conceptual phase, with 143,478 hectares of land secured and a planned milling capacity of 55,500 tonnes of cane per day. The $7.1 billion programme aims to elevate Nigeria’s annual sugar production to over two million metric tonnes, surpassing the current domestic demand of about 1.8 million metric tonnes.

The programme also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.