The Federal Government has urged the Dangote Group to significantly expand the production capacity of its sugar subsidiary, Dangote Sugar Refinery, targeting 600,000 metric tonnes annually by the year 2030 as part of efforts to achieve national self sufficiency in sugar production.
The directive was issued by the Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, during a strategic inspection visit to the Dangote Sugar Refinery complex in Numan, Adamawa State. The visit formed part of ongoing assessments of sugar sector projects under the national industrialisation drive.
Accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, Kamar Bakrin, the minister emphasized that Nigeria current sugar consumption of about 1.8 million metric tonnes annually far exceeds local production capacity.
He stated that as a leading operator in the sector, Dangote Sugar Refinery is expected to play a central role in bridging the supply gap and supporting the country’s long term goal of achieving sugar self sufficiency under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan.
The minister praised ongoing investments in infrastructure and expansion projects at the facility, noting that developments such as the new 6000 tons per day plant demonstrate strong commitment to the Federal Government Backward Integration Programme.
He further highlighted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the sugar industry as part of broader economic diversification efforts, stressing that achieving the 600,000 metric tonnes target is critical to reducing import dependence.
The Federal Government also expressed readiness to collaborate with industry operators to remove bottlenecks affecting production, including infrastructure gaps and investment constraints, in order to accelerate growth in the sector.
Responding, Vice President of the Dangote Group, Olakunle Alake, assured the government of the company commitment to scaling up production capacity and meeting the 2030 target.
He reaffirmed that Dangote Sugar Refinery remains committed to supporting Nigeria industrialisation goals and will continue to invest in expanding domestic production capacity.
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