The Minister and the NSDC boss visited the Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO) owned by BUA Foods in Lafiagi, Kwara state, on Monday, December 15, 2025. The duo were at the Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) Complex on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
In Sunti, the Minister noted that the current local sugar production in the country is a long distance away from the 1.8m metric tonnes that the country consumes annually, adding that, the GSC must contribute 300,000 metric tonnes in the year 2030.
He said he was impressed by the volume of activities going on in the complex, saying it amounts to huge value addition.
“It is a reflection of the implementation of the government’s Backward Integration Programme (BIP). It also demonstrates that there is a business going on; there is an industry with all the elements that you can think about.
“People are gainfully employed. At its peak, I understand this facility has about 4,500 workers. So, government’s requirement for gainful employment is itself achieved here.
“I have never stopped getting amazed at what production can be. From the farm, you get to the factory and find sugar produced.
“This itself begins to demonstrate the ability of the country, of these business people, and of the industry to achieve set targets.
“While we can praise this to be an implementation of the BIP, it still falls quite short in terms of what expectations are of that policy.
But I am glad that there is an ambition that by 2030 the annual output is going to increase to 300,000 metric tonnes,” the Minister said.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to industrialisation and continued support for industrialists, including fiscal incentives and funding efforts.
“We are not there yet, but there is commitment; there is push, and the government itself is serious about industrialisation,” he noted.
Also speaking, the NSDC boss acknowledged the significant strides the GSC has made in recent times, but added that the journey is still far ahead and a lot has to be done to meet set targets.
“Without a doubt, we consistently acknowledge the very impressive strides that they make. We appreciate the commitment, the creativity they bring to developing projects.
“At the same time, we are relentless in pointing out numerous opportunities for improvement because we have a very significant journey ahead of us. It’s not going to be achieved by us passing the buck constantly, but by holding each other accountable for delivering results. Not just delivering results, but delivering results in a cost effective and timely manner.
“The commitment of government to this is beyond question. The support that government has provided and will continue to provide is beyond question and the requirement for accountability is going to remain the same. At the Sugar Council, we have a very senior team that is dedicated to supporting the Golden Sugar Company,” he said.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of GSC, Mr Boye Olusanya, disclosed that the company currently cultivates about 6,600 hectares, producing about 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar annually, with plans to scale up to 290,000 metric tonnes by the end of 2030.
While the delegation undertook a farm and factory tour of the facility, the highlight of the visit was the commissioning of the Sugar Training School built by the GSC and located with the complex.
