Dangote Sugar Refinery is intensifying its long-term plan to eliminate Nigeria’s dependence on imported raw sugar, anchoring this effort on more than $700 million already committed to different expansion policies.
The investment spread across land acquisition, industrial machinery, factory infrastructure, workforce development, and extensive community and CSR programmes, marks one of the most ambitious commitments yet in Nigeria’s sugar-sector reform drive.
The renewed push was highlighted at the Lagos International Trade Fair, where the company unveiled new Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) in 100g, 250g, 500g and 1kg sizes, signalling a broader retail strategy aligned with its backward integration drive.
Fatima Aliko-Dangote, Executive Director, Commercial Operations, reaffirmed the Dangote Group’s commitment to deepening industrialisation as a pathway to job creation, value addition and economic diversification.
At a time when foreign exchange pressures and rising import costs have intensified the need for domestic production, the company’s expansion initiative strengthens both national industrialisation goals and the government’s backward integration policy.
With increased refining capacity, new product lines and expanded operations across its sugar estates, Dangote Sugar is positioning itself as a central force in reshaping Nigeria’s sugar market and reducing the billions spent annually on imports.
Nigeria remains heavily dependent on sugar imports to meet its domestic demand, which is estimated at around 1.7 million tonnes annually, according to the National Sugar Development Council.
Local production remains very low, forcing the country to source most of its sugar from abroad. Data from the World Bank’s COMTRADE shows that in 2023, Nigeria imported approximately 825,121 tonnes (825,121,000 kg) of raw cane sugar.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, Nigeria spent ₦953.9 billion on raw sugar imports. In March 2025 alone, the country imported about 98,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar.
The scale and cost of imports highlight the urgent need for domestic capacity expansion. Initiatives like Dangote Sugar Refinery’s $700 million investment in backward integration and local production are therefore critical in reducing import dependence, creating jobs, and moving Nigeria toward sugar self-sufficiency.
Group Chief Executive Officer Ravindra Singhvi said the investments form a strategic pillar of Nigeria’s broader sugar-backward integration framework, explaining that the company is accelerating field development and factory expansion as it targets up to 1.5 million metric tonnes of refined sugar annually in the coming years.
The sugar subsidiary’s financial performance has also strengthened significantly. Aliko Dangote told shareholders at the 19th Annual General Meeting that revenue climbed by 51 per cent to ₦665.6 billion in 2024, up from ₦441.5 billion in 2023.
Source: Africabusinessinsider
