The National Sugar Development Council says large-scale investment in Nigeria’s sugar industry could significantly reduce unemployment, boost rural development and help tackle insecurity through massive job creation.
Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSDC, Kamar Bakrin, stated this during a strategic meeting with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement released by the council, Bakrin told the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and senior officials that developing Nigeria’s sugar sector could transform over $1bn spent annually on sugar imports into investments capable of driving industrialisation and economic growth.
He explained that a fully developed sugar industry could generate about 250,000 direct jobs and an additional 750,000 indirect jobs across the value chain, particularly in rural communities across 12 states.
Bakrin noted that most of the jobs would be created outside urban centres, helping to reduce poverty and youth unemployment in underserved areas.
He also linked sugar estate development to improved security, saying large-scale projects could engage thousands of young people who might otherwise become vulnerable to criminal activities and social unrest.
According to him, sugar estates are designed to operate independently of the national electricity grid and can even contribute excess power to the country’s energy supply.
Bakrin stated that a modern sugar estate could generate up to 400 megawatts of electricity, with only half consumed internally while the remaining capacity is supplied to the national grid.
He added that the sugar industry offers broader economic opportunities beyond sugar production, including rural industrialisation, energy generation, infrastructure development and economic diversification.
The NSDC boss described the Nigeria Customs Service as a key institution in the successful implementation of the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan, especially in areas such as import regulation, quota enforcement, anti-smuggling operations and fiscal incentives.
He explained that the Federal Government is working to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported sugar by encouraging large-scale local production through stronger policies and institutional collaboration.
Bakrin further disclosed that Nigeria has more than one million hectares of suitable land for sugar cultivation, although only about 200,000 hectares would be needed for the country to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production.
He stressed that investors willing to commit billions of dollars into the sector require confidence that government policies and incentives will be consistently implemented.
Responding, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, expressed support for the sugar sector transformation agenda.
He said the projected benefits of the industry align with Nigeria’s economic priorities, particularly in job creation, energy supply, security and rural development.
Adeniyi assured the NSDC of the Customs Service’s commitment to strengthening collaboration through intelligence sharing, data transparency, quota enforcement and anti-smuggling operations.
Both agencies agreed to work together in critical areas including market stability, monitoring sugar imports, enforcing approved quotas, implementing fiscal incentives and combating illegal sugar importation.
The institutions also resolved to establish a joint intelligence and enforcement team aimed at tackling smuggling activities undermining the growth of the local sugar industry.
Adeniyi further called for regular review meetings between both agencies to monitor implementation progress, resolve operational challenges and jointly brief President Bola Tinubu on developments in the sector.
