According to information released by the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), the Nigerian sugar industry would have a refining capacity of roughly 3.5 million metric tons by 2022.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr. Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Secretary of the NSDC, stated that the amount of refined sugar being produced in the nation is almost twice as much as the 1.7 million metric tonnes that can be used annually by 2022.

He claimed that while the master plan’s agricultural component had underperformed, substantial increase was anticipated with the release of the updated development plan.

Adedeji acknowledged the various obstacles facing the sugar sector in Nigeria, but stressed that measures have been put in place to overcome the issues preventing the growth of sugar production in the country.

According to him, the government has made it easier to access a welcoming environment under the revised Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), which would ensure expansion to self-sufficiency by 2023.

The federal government made a significant amount of money from the sugar industry. The big sugar corporations employed both skilled and unskilled workers, producing at maximum capacity.

In actuality, fresh graduates and job seekers eager to advance their careers regularly flocked to the top sugar corporations. Nigeria’s industrialization program of that era benefited immensely from the sugar industry, particularly in terms of cultivating and eating what is produced.

However, with the introduction of an ambitious and well-thought-out 10-year plan to develop and rebuild the industry in order to regain Nigeria’s lost grandeur as far as sugar production on the continent is concerned, the tragic story in the sector has changed for the better and shown some flashes of rebirth.

The Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), as the concept was code-named, was conceived in 2012, but it wasn’t until 2013 that it was put into practice. The sugar industry, which had been dead, dying, and ignored, sprang to life with the introduction of the NSMP as both domestic and foreign investors were interested in it.

According to the master plan, Nigeria would use 1.7 million metric tonnes of sugar annually after ten years. Cane farming would need 250,000 hectares in total, 28 factories would be built, and more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians would be generated.

“As of today, a total of four companies have signed unto the Backward Integration Programme (BIP) of the NSMP,” the speaker continued. The businesses are KIA Africa Group, Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Sugar Refinery, and Golden Sugar Refinery. These BIP operators have sites spread throughout several states in Nigeria, where they support the economic well-being of the states in which they operate by creating jobs for Nigerians.

“The BUA Group has its BIP facility in Lafiagi, Kwara State; the Dangote Sugar Refinery has its BIP site in Numan, Adamawa State; the Golden Sugar BIP site is located in Sunti, Niger State; and the KIA Africa BIP site is located in Bacita, Kwara State.

“In a rare demonstration of dedication to its economic diversification policy through the promotion of industrialization, the Federal government has graciously approved Phase 2 of the policy, with actual implementation to begin in 2023 through 2033. Phase 1 of the master plan, which began in 2013, reached its crescendo in the first quarter of 2023.

“We shall in the shortest possible time attain self-sufficiency in sugar production, and subsequently export to countries within the continent. As stipulated in the Phase 2 Plan, we will make some minor adjustments to what we previously had.

According to Adedeji, “in order to make our work seamless, our next phase of activities would be anchored on verifiable data and innovation.” Operators will now receive their yearly raw sugar quota allotment based on how well they performed in the previous year.

We therefore urge our operators to brace up, as the authorized NSMP Phase 2 has changed the previous system of assigning raw sugar quota based on refinery size.