RismadarVoice Reporters, May 17, 2026
The Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Kamar Bakrin, has said that developing Nigeria’s sugar industry to full capacity could create up to one million jobs and contribute significantly to improving security across the country.
Bakrin made the statement during a strategic meeting between the NSDC and the Nigeria Customs Service at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Addressing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, and senior officials of the service, he explained that the sugar sector has the potential to generate 250,000 direct jobs and an additional 750,000 indirect jobs through its value chain across about 12 states.
He noted that strengthening the industry would help convert more than one billion dollars currently spent annually on sugar imports into investments that support job creation, industrial development and economic growth.
Bakrin stressed that many of the projected jobs would be created in rural communities, adding that large-scale youth employment could help reduce insecurity by limiting the number of unemployed youths vulnerable to criminal activities.
According to him, areas with established sugar projects often experience fewer security concerns because of the economic opportunities available to local populations.
He also highlighted the energy-generating potential of sugar estates, explaining that they can independently produce electricity without depending on the national grid.
Bakrin said sugar estates consume only about half of the energy they generate and can contribute the remaining output to the national grid, adding that an estimated 400 megawatts could be produced enough to power smaller cities or communities.
He further disclosed that Nigeria possesses over one million hectares of land suitable for sugar cultivation, noting that only about 200,000 hectares would be required for the country to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production.
Bakrin added that attracting major investors into the sector would require consistency in policy implementation and confidence that approved incentives would be applied transparently.
He described the Nigeria Customs Service as a key institution in the success of the National Sugar Master Plan II, particularly in areas including import regulation, quota administration, anti-smuggling efforts and fiscal incentives.
Responding, Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi expressed support for the sugar sector transformation initiative, describing its projected benefits in employment generation, rural development, security and energy supply as important to Nigeria’s economic priorities.
He assured the NSDC of the service’s commitment to improving intelligence sharing, strengthening quota enforcement and enhancing collaboration to ensure effective implementation of the programme.
Both agencies also reaffirmed their commitment to work together in areas such as market stability, import data transparency, anti-smuggling measures, quota allocation and implementation of sugar sector incentives.
