The Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr Kamar Bakrin, has shared the long term goals of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) Phase II with the Governor of Kwara State, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazak.
The NSDC Boss, who paid the Governor a courtesy visit at the Kwara state Governor’s lodge in Abuja on Wednesday, said the vision of the NSMP Phase II is to achieve 2000 metric tonnes of annual sugar production and create 1000 jobs for Nigerians.
Mr Barkin admitted that before this ambitious target is met, there has to be a substantial increase from the current 50,000 metric tonnes of annual production.
He emphasised the Council’s three primary areas of focus, which are sugar projects, industry regulation, and research and development.
“The target is to get to 2 million metric tonnes, create 1000 jobs, save the country about a billion dollars which we spend annually on importing sugar from Brazil alone,” he said.
The Council Boss expressed confidence in the transformative impact of the NSMP, underlining its potential to not only strengthen the domestic sugar industry but also contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth and self-sufficiency objectives.
The Kwara Governor, who doubles as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), pledged the support of his administration for the activities of the Council in the pursuit of NSMP II implementation.
In the ES team were the Director, Finance and Accounts, Alhaji Auwalu Abubakar Shira; the Director, Executive Secretary’s Office, Mallam Ahmed M. Waziri; the Acting Director, Policy Planning Research and Statistics (PPRS), Mr Babangida Damare; the Acting Head of Procurement, Mrs Afiong Onwumeru; the Acting Head of Technical Services, Mr Balarabe Ladan; the Special Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Mr Teslim Bello, and Lady Edirin Akemu who works with the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite.