Nigeria’s push to produce two million metric tonnes of sugar annually took a step forward with the graduation of the first cohort of specialists trained under the National Sugar Development Council’s new residential capacity building programme, designed to sharpen skills across the sugar value chain from cane cultivation to industrial processing.
Speaking at the graduation in Ilorin, NSDC Executive Secretary Kamar Bakrin said the future of Nigeria’s sugar industry depends on professionals who can move the needle on both farm productivity and factory efficiency simultaneously, since neither improvement alone will eliminate the country’s reliance on imports. Under the performance driven framework of the National Sugar Master Plan 2.0, he said, the council is holding operators to strict accountability, and needs personnel who master both leading practice cane yields and peak extraction efficiency to unlock long term economic viability. He said demand for the programme has already exceeded expectations, exposing an acute shortage of skilled technical talent that the council is now working systematically to close as the sector expands.
The pioneer cohort of 39 professionals completed intensive residential training between June 29 and July 3, with a second cohort of 41 participants beginning training on July 13. Training covered sugarcane biology, variety selection, irrigation and water management, crop productivity and yield optimisation, delivered through both classroom instruction and practical exercises, including Cane Clinics where trainees analysed real farm challenges after field work and jointly developed solutions with industry experts. Participants also visited the National Museum and the Innovation Hub in Ilorin to expose them to Nigeria’s broader industrial heritage and innovation ecosystem, all held at the Nigeria Sugar Institute’s purpose built residential campus, which includes 50 rooms of accommodation and shared learning spaces designed to encourage interaction.
The cohort drew professionals from across Nigeria’s major sugar producing organisations, including Dangote’s Adamawa Sugar Company, BUA’s Lafiagi Sugar Company, Sunti Golden Sugar Estate, Illaj Sugar, Legacy Sugar, Progressive Farmers’ Groups and the council itself, a cross sector mix NSDC said is meant to break down institutional silos and ensure technical knowledge reaches the operators actually responsible for delivering the Master Plan’s objectives. The council said investing in this kind of human capital lays the foundation for a more competitive, self sufficient sugar sector capable of meeting domestic demand while supporting broader industrial growth and economic diversification.
