The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has agreed to prioritise sugar as a key product to accelerate industrial development across states in the country.
The Forum also accepted proposals to include sugar projects as priority beneficiaries in engagements with development partners both within and outside Nigeria.
These decisions followed requests by the National Sugar Development Council, which is mandated to develop the sugar sector, to halt raw sugar imports, create jobs, and achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production, according to a statement on Sunday by the NSDC.
The NGF and NSDC will now collaborate to support states in preparing investor-ready sugar projects, facilitating structured engagement between state governments, investors, and industry operators, and improving coordination around land access, infrastructure provision, and incentive frameworks.
Executive Secretary and CEO of NSDC, Mr.Kamar Bakrin, presented the sector’s investment opportunities to NGF officials, urging governors in viable sugarcane cultivation areas to embrace sugar project development.
He identified 11 states with suitable lands for profitable sugar production: Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Adamawa, and Taraba.
