History was made recently following the formal commissioning of Nigeria’s first sugar training centre jointly established by the Federal Government and key private sector players in the sugar industry. The institute which is expected to address challenges of skilled manpower and expertise in the sugar industry is named the Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI), located in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The institute which was commissioned by the Hon. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo had political bigwigs, captains of industry, traditional rulers, key government functionaries as well as investors in the sugar sector in attendance.
Earlier in his speech, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, while stating that the Federal Government was ready to partner with private investors in sugar production in the country, said that investment already made by the apex government and the private sector in the industry was capable of creating thousands of jobs in agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
While expressing optimism on what the sector holds for the country, Otunba Adebayo said, “The government, therefore, recognizes the need to deepen the partnership with the private sector to drive access to skills development, research and development in a manner that promotes competition, productivity, profitability and sustainability in the sugar industry”.
The Minister who commended the Kwara State Government and other stakeholders in the partnership for the support given to the ministry in actualizing the project, pledged to meet expectations of the country in sugar development through the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) Dr. Latif D. Busari said that the newly commissioned Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI) in Ilorin, Kwara State would aid the ongoing drive towards achieving a virile and competitive sugar industry for the country.
Dr. Busari also hinted that that the institute would also fill the current void in critical areas of Nigeria’s sugar industry such as research, development and innovation as well as technical manpower development to sustain the industry development. Dr. Busari stressed that the institute “would further assist in the provision of clean and pure seed cane for growers, all based on the most advanced technologies available.
To actualize these for the country, Dr. Busari explained that the “institution would provide training for the core faculties of the Nigerian institution, adding that, NSI has begun to train 18 trainee instructors before the official commissioning to ensure that the ongoing plan to boost sugar industry achieve desired purpose”.
He noted that, “six of the 18 trainees were currently taking courses in agriculture and field operations while the 12 others were gaining required knowledge on factory related operations. Dr. Busari argued that the commissioning and training would have commenced earlier but was delayed due to COVID-19 lock-down and international travel restrictions imposed to prevent the virus transmission. The secretary described the institute as a partnership effort between the public and private sector, and also collaboration with world-class sugar institutes in India and Mauritius.”
“The Sugar Council, working closely with our operators had collated the various technical manpower needs covering the plan period between 2017 and 2023, identified the training programmes and developed curriculum for the courses that would be offered at the Institute.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Kwara state, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq pledged that his government will continue to create an environment for industrial growth, in partnership with both the Federal Government and the private sector for the benefit of residents of the state. The governor said the state has the potential of providing enough sugarcane for sugar industries in the country.