NSDC Mobilises $1bn Investment Pipeline to Drive Nigeria’s Sugar Self-Sufficiency
– Targets two million tonnes of locally produced sugar under NSMP 2.0– Tightens import-quota enforcement, deploys satellite monitoring for backward integrationSunday Ehigiator The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has unveiled
The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has unveiled a $1 billion investment strategy to boost Nigeria's sugar self-sufficiency, as part of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) 2.0. The Council will partner with China’s SINOMACH on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)-plus-finance basis, with an additional ₦10 billion Sugar Project Acceleration Fund to support feasibility studies and project preparation.
The initiative aims to create a bio-industrial ecosystem where sugarcane can be used to produce sugar, ethanol, animal feed, and electricity. The NSDC's Executive Secretary, Kamar Bakrin, highlighted the need for effective governance rather than just policies, stating that world-class execution is crucial for success. The NSDC is redesigning its Backward Integration Programme around four principles: qualify, reward, verify and enforce, and will use satellite imagery alongside physical inspections to monitor sugar project sites.
The Council also plans to engage the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and partner with the Nigeria Governors' Forum to accelerate sugar estate development. Smallholder farmers and host communities will remain central to the strategy through the Sugarcane Outgrower Development Programme, which requires estates to reserve land for outgrowers and invest in host communities.
The NSDC believes that Brazil's success in sugar production was driven by strong institutions, and the Council is implementing similar practices in Nigeria.
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