NGF to Adopt Sugar as Driver of Industrial Development in States

Sunday Ehigiator

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has agreed to prioritise sugar as a strategic product for accelerating industrial development across states of the federation, while also entering into a partnership with the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) to advance sugar project development nationwide.

The decision was reached following a recent meeting between the leadership of the NGF and the NSDC, during which the Forum resolved to include sugar projects as priority beneficiaries in its engagements with development partners, both locally and internationally.

According to a statement from the NSDC, “under the proposed partnership framework, the NGF will work with the NSDC to support states in preparing and positioning sugar projects to be investor-ready, facilitate structured engagements between state governments, investors and industry operators, and improve coordination around critical enablers such as land access, infrastructure provision and incentive frameworks.”

Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSDC, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, outlined the vast investment opportunities within the sugar sector and urged governors of sugarcane-viable states to embrace sugar project development.

He identified 11 states with proven and suitable lands for profitable sugar production as Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Adamawa and Taraba.

Bakrin noted that recent macroeconomic developments have significantly improved the competitiveness and profitability of local sugar production. “While global sugar prices have remained relatively stable in dollar terms, exchange rate movements have made imports significantly more expensive, thereby enhancing the commercial viability of domestically produced sugar, whose inputs are largely naira-denominated,” he said.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the NGF, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, said many state governments are already engaged, or are keen to engage, in sugar-related investments spanning land development, agricultural schemes and agro-industrial initiatives.

However, he noted that unlocking the full potential of the sector requires effective coordination, credible investment frameworks, and strong alignment between federal policy objectives and state-level development priorities.

Shittu pledged the commitment of the NGF secretariat to ensure that state development priorities increasingly focus on sugar project investments, given their capacity to drive rural development and generate employment.