The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, has praised the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Kamar Bakrin, and his team for their thorough reforms at the Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI) in Ilorin, Kwara State. He called for the Institute to commence full operations.
Enoh made the commendation during an official visit to the NSI, emphasizing the need for the Institute to become fully functional and serve as the driver of capacity development, technical expertise, and innovation in the sugar sector, according to a statement by the NSDC.
Enoh stated that as Nigeria pursues industrialization and self-sufficiency in sugar production, the Institute has a strategic responsibility to provide skilled manpower, research support, and agricultural inputs necessary for sustainable growth across the value chain.
“I have found the NSDC Executive Secretary to be passionate, focused, and committed to achieving the set objectives of the NSI. The policy reforms, capacity building, and infrastructural upgrades that have taken place within a very short time are commendable,” Enoh said.
“I must, however, urge the Executive Secretary not to rest until this place becomes fully operational. The role the Institute has to play in our drive for increased local production and industrialization of the sugar sector is very critical,” he added.
The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to supporting the NSDC and NSI in achieving their mandates, while calling for sustained collaboration and dedication from staff and stakeholders to drive industry transformation.
The NSI is a purpose-built national institution established to serve as the research, training, and technical backbone of Nigeria’s sugar industry. It was incorporated in June 2019 and formally commissioned in January 2021, operating under the strategic oversight of the NSDC.
Over the past two years, more than 60 NSI staff have undergone targeted capacity-building programs covering both managerial and technical competencies. Managerial training included project management, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, conflict resolution, strategic communication, and professional reporting. Technical training involved advanced, hands-on instruction in laboratory instrumentation, solution preparation, soil analysis, and equipment maintenance.
Mr. Bakrin and his team have repositioned the NSI as a national hub for training and knowledge transfer. Through the NSDC/NSI Boot Camp initiative, the Institute has begun delivering structured, hands-on training programs covering sugar processing, refining, quality control, industrial safety, and environmental compliance.
