Nigeria's sugar plan targets 835,000 tonnes of new annual capacity

Nigeria's sugar-industry regulator says ten planned greenfield projects could add 835,000 metric tonnes of annual production capacity when fully operational.

The projects are part of a 10-year investment programme valued at $7.1 billion. The National Sugar Development Council says the wider plan is designed to lift domestic output above two million tonnes a year and save about $2.1 billion in foreign exchange annually.

A large gap to close

Nigeria consumes roughly 1.8 million tonnes of sugar a year and remains heavily dependent on imports and imported raw sugar. The Council estimates that about $1 billion currently flows to foreign producers each year, exposing local prices to exchange-rate and shipping costs.

New refining capacity alone will not achieve self-sufficiency. Projects need irrigated cane estates, reliable power and transport, suitable seed varieties, growers who can earn viable returns and mills that can operate at high utilisation.

Financing and enforcement

The investment pipeline includes a proposed $1 billion engineering, procurement, construction and financing partnership with China's SINOMACH, as well as a N10 billion Sugar Project Acceleration Fund developed with the Bank of Industry.

The projected foreign-exchange saving is therefore an outcome target, not money already saved. Progress should be measured through hectares planted, factory completion, cane yields and the share of consumption supplied from Nigerian farms.

Sources

National Sugar Development Council, current investment-programme disclosure and “NSDC mobilises $1 billion investment pipeline…” (15 Aug 2026); NSDC programme update reported 12 Oct 2026.