Dangote Sugar Refinery is intensifying its efforts to end Nigeria’s long-standing reliance on imported raw sugar, committing approximately $700 million across its production value chain to accelerate the country’s self-sufficiency agenda.
The investment spans land acquisition, industrial machinery, factory infrastructure, workforce development, and extensive community and corporate social responsibility programs, representing one of the most ambitious undertakings in Nigeria’s sugar-sector reform.
The renewed push was highlighted at the Lagos International Trade Fair, where Dangote unveiled new Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1kg sizes, reflecting a broader retail strategy aligned with its backward integration drive.
Fatima Aliko-Dangote, Executive Director of Commercial Operations, reaffirmed the Dangote Group’s commitment to deepening industrialisation as a pathway to job creation, value addition, and economic diversification, as seen on Business Inside Africa.
With foreign exchange pressures and rising import costs intensifying, the expansion initiative strengthens both national industrialisation objectives and the government’s backward integration policy.
Through 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 billions spent annually on imports.
Nigeria remains heavily dependent on sugar imports to meet domestic demand, estimated at around 1.7 million tonnes annually, according to the National Sugar Development Council. Local production remains low, forcing the country to source most of its sugar from abroad.
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World Bank COMTRADE data shows that in 2023, Nigeria imported approximately 825,121 tonnes of raw cane sugar. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the country spent ₦953.9 billion on raw sugar imports, with March 2025 alone accounting for around 98,000 metric tonnes.
These figures highlight the urgent need for domestic capacity expansion, making initiatives like Dangote Sugar’s $700 million investment critical for reducing import dependence, creating jobs, and advancing sugar self-sufficiency.
Group Chief Executive Officer Ravindra Singhvi described the investment as a strategic pillar of Nigeria’s broader sugar backward-integration framework, explaining that the company is accelerating field development and factory expansion with a target of producing up to 1.5 million metric tonnes of refined sugar annually in the coming years.
The refinery’s financial performance has also strengthened significantly. Aliko Dangote told shareholders at the 19th Annual General Meeting that revenue climbed 51 percent to ₦665.6 billion in 2024, up from ₦441.5 billion in 2023.
Acting AGM Chair Bennedikter Molokwu noted that the performance underscores the refinery’s resilience despite inflationary pressures, currency volatility, and broader macroeconomic challenges.
Shareholders applauded the company’s continued leadership as one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest sugar processors, with a combined refining capacity of 1.49 million tonnes annually. Singhvi added that Dangote Sugar aims to produce 700,000 tonnes locally over the next five years, creating more than 75,000 jobs across its value chain.
With rising domestic capacity, sustained capital investment, and an ambitious retail growth strategy, Dangote Sugar is positioning itself at the centre of Nigeria’s long-term plan to end raw sugar imports and achieve full food-industry self-sufficiency.
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Image Credit: The AfCRTA Marketplace
