Sugar Industry Can Create One Million Jobs in Nigeria

Mr. Kamar Bakrin, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), announced that the sugar industry in Nigeria has the potential to create one million jobs and significantly improve security by reducing unemployment and stimulating rural development. Speaking at the Nigeria Customs Service headquarters in Abuja alongside the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Bashir Adewal Adeniyi, Bakrin explained that developing the sugar sector could help retain the current annual loss of one billion dollars due to sugar imports.

He noted that the sector could create 250,000 direct jobs and an additional 750,000 indirect jobs across its value chain, primarily in 12 states. Bakrin highlighted that sugar estates could generate surplus energy for the national grid and contribute to rural industrialization.

He urged investors to commit to the sector, which requires government policy assurance and incentives. The NSDC and Nigeria Customs Service pledged to collaborate on various initiatives to enhance the sugar sector's growth and combat smuggling.