The Federal Government has called on the Dangote Group to significantly increase the production capacity of its subsidiary, Dangote Sugar Refinery, to 600,000 metric tonnes annually by 2030.
The directive was given by the Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, during an inspection visit to the company’s facility in Numan, Adamawa State, alongside the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, Mr Kamar Bakrin.
The visit formed part of a nationwide review of sugar projects aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s push to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production.
Highlighting the urgency, the minister noted that Nigeria’s local output remains far below its annual consumption of about 1.8 million metric tonnes, stressing the critical role of Dangote Sugar in closing the gap.
“DSR is a very big player in the industry, one of the three major operators. Our circumstances in this sector will continue to depend on what DSR does. It is very important. I mean since coming to this ministry, I found the NSDC Executive Secretary to be hardworking and passionate about sugar sector development. I have seen the commitment he has demonstrated.
“But that is the much he can give, he needs to get the cooperation of everyone to make sure that we achieve the laudable goals of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP)
“I have lost count of the number of times Mr President has talked about developments in the sugar industry in Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and other sessions,” he said.
Enoh emphasized that the production target must be met before 2031.
“The 600,000 MT target must be delivered by DSR before 2031.”
He also praised the National Sugar Development Council for monitoring industry players and noted visible progress in Dangote’s infrastructure and expansion projects.
“The scale of infrastructure, level of investment, and degree of project advancement—especially at the new 6000 TCD plant—observed at DSR reflect a tangible commitment to the objectives of the Backward Integration Programme (BIP),” he said.
Reaffirming government support, the minister said efforts are ongoing to address challenges limiting production growth, including access to long-term financing.
“I am indeed very happy with what I have seen today but scaling up production to be able to meet Mr President’s expectations is very important.
“My final comment would be to encourage you, just to let you know that my visit here is to show government’s continuous seriousness and how important government looks at our ability as a country to be self-sufficient in sugar production,” he said.
Dangote Group’s Vice President, Mr Olakunle Alake, assured that the company remains committed to meeting the 600,000MT target by 2030.
