Nigeria Targets 2 Million Tonnes Sugar Output with New Specialist Training

News in Brief:

—Nigeria has graduated the first cohort of specialists under the National Sugar Master Plan 2.0 to strengthen skills across the sugar value chain.

—The initiative is expected to support the country's target of producing 2 million metric tonnes of sugar annually and reducing reliance on imports.

Nigeria has taken a significant step towards achieving its target of producing 2 million metric tonnes of sugar annually with the graduation of the first cohort of specialists trained under the National Sugar Development Council's flagship residential capacity-building programme.

The programme, conducted at the Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI) in Ilorin, is designed to develop a skilled workforce capable of improving efficiency across Nigeria's sugar value chain, from sugarcane cultivation to industrial processing.

The training forms part of the implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) 2.0, which aims to strengthen domestic sugar production and reduce the country's dependence on imported sugar.

Programme to Strengthen Farm and Factory Performance

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Kamar Bakrin, stated that the future of Nigeria's sugar industry depends on building professionals with the technical expertise required to improve productivity on farms and in factories.

He noted that NSMP 2.0 prioritises critical areas, including land preparation, irrigation, high-yield seed cane production and factory operations, to transform the sugar industry into a competitive and sustainable sector.

NSMP 2.0 Focuses on Accountability and Self-Sufficiency

Bakrin stressed that increasing domestic sugar production requires improvements across the entire value chain rather than isolated gains in either farming or processing.

According to him, the National Sugar Master Plan 2.0 introduces a performance-driven framework that holds operators accountable for delivering measurable improvements in productivity and operational efficiency.

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

The council believes that building technical capacity across the industry will play a critical role in achieving Nigeria's long-term sugar self-sufficiency goals, reducing import bills and strengthening agro-industrial development.