NSDC, Firms Sign Agreement To Produce 400,000 MT Of Sugar Annually

Nigeria’s National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has finalized an agreement with four companies to initiate fresh sugar production projects that are expected to generate 400,000 tonnes of sugar annually.

The NSDC disclosed this following the official signing ceremony held in Abuja.

It noted that the initiative marks a new milestone in the government’s broader strategy to reduce dependence on imported sugar and move toward full local production.

Per the agency, the selected companies, Brent Sugar in Oyo, Niger Foods in Niger, Legacy Sugar in Adamawa, and UMZA in Bauchi will each establish facilities with an annual output target of 100,000 tonnes, spread strategically across Nigeria’s key farming zones.

“The geographic spread from Nigeria’s south-west to north-east reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage diverse agricultural conditions and distribute economic benefits across regions.”

“The agreements, signed at NSDC’s Abuja headquarters, represent a significant scaling of Nigeria’s sugar development ambitions. Under the terms, the council will provide customised project development support and cover critical service costs to ensure the ventures achieve commercial viability.”

These new ventures are part of a broader, more assertive approach to revamping Nigeria’s sugar industry. Recently, the NSDC entered into a formal collaboration with a Chinese enterprise, focused on delivering engineering, procurement, and construction services, as well as financing for up to five sugar estates, a plan with an estimated investment value of $1 billion.

 “This Chinese partnership underscores Nigeria’s willingness to leverage foreign expertise and capital to rapidly develop domestic capacity,” the statement partly reads.

In his remarks, the Council’s Executive Secretary/CEO, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, mentioned that 2025 has been earmarked as a period of “accelerated development” within the sugar industry.

He emphasized that this effort reflects a heightened commitment to improving food resilience and curbing reliance on imports.

Bakrin pointed out that evolving trends in global commodity trade have made local production significantly more viable than ever, presenting an ideal opportunity to expand domestic capabilities at scale.