Nigeria Targets 2M MT Sugar Output as NSDC Graduates Specialists

Nigeria has taken a significant stride towards its ambitious goal of producing two million metric tonnes of sugar annually. This progress is marked by the graduation of the first cohort of specialists trained under the National Sugar Development Council's (NSDC) flagship residential capacity-building program.

The program, designed to drive the implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) 2.0, aims to cultivate a highly skilled workforce. This workforce is essential for enhancing efficiency throughout Nigeria's sugar value chain, encompassing everything from sugarcane cultivation to industrial processing. The initiative is part of intensified efforts to reduce the nation's reliance on sugar imports.

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The future of Nigeria’s sugar industry depends on building professionals with the technical expertise to improve both farm productivity and factory efficiency.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI) in Ilorin, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSDC, Kamar Bakrin, emphasized the critical role of professionals with technical expertise. He stated that the future of Nigeria's sugar industry hinges on building such expertise to improve both farm productivity and factory efficiency.

Bakrin further explained that the NSMP 2.0 framework places a strong emphasis on strengthening key areas like land preparation, irrigation, high-yield seed cane production, and factory operations. The ultimate objective is to transform the sector into a profitable and sustainable industry. "Neither field productivity nor factory efficiency, on its own, can move the needle greatly," Bakrin noted. "True sustainability, and the ultimate elimination of our import dependency, demands that we fuse the two. Under the performance-driven framework of NSMP 2.0, we are holding operators to strict accountability."

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Neither field productivity nor factory efficiency, on its own, can move the needle greatly. True sustainability, and the ultimate elimination of our import dependency, demands that we fuse the two. Under the performance-driven framework of NSMP 2.0, we are holding operators to strict accountability.