The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Sugar Development Council, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, has clarified the institutional status of the Nigeria Sugar Institute, emphasising that it serves the entire sugar industry rather than a select group of operators.

In an interview with journalists, Bakrin explained that the NSI was established as a purpose-built national institution to provide research, training, and technical support for Nigeria’s sugar sector, operating under the oversight of the NSDC.

This was contained in a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday.

According to the CEO, NSI was incorporated in June 2019 and formally commissioned in January 2021, with its headquarters in Ilorin, Kwara State.

“The Nigeria Sugar Institute is a purpose-built national institution established to serve as the research, training and technical backbone of Nigeria’s sugar industry.

“It operates under the strategic oversight of the NSDC and exists to ensure consistent access to quality planting materials, skilled manpower and credible technical expertise for the industry,” Bakrin said.

He highlighted that the Institute houses specialised bio-factory and tissue culture laboratories, which are critical for varietal development, seedcane multiplication, and applied research, supporting both sugar and ethanol production.

These facilities, Bakrin noted, address lack of access to high-quality planting materials, which is one of the sector’s longstanding challenges.

Bakrin stressed that, contrary to some perceptions, “NSI is an industry-wide resource accessible to all players.”

He added that sugar operators are already utilising its services for seedcane supply, capacity building, and technical support.

“As the Institute continues to scale and demonstrate value, discussions around broader industry participation and long-term support will naturally evolve,” he said.

The NSDC boss also outlined reforms implemented since his appointment, aimed at repositioning NSI as a national centre of excellence.

“We set out to reposition NSI into a fully functional, industry-facing centre for research, training and technical support.

“With the support of KPMG, we strengthened governance systems, clarified roles and aligned the Institute with global best practices,” he said.

He disclosed that beyond governance reforms, the NSDC prioritised human capacity development, with over 60 NSI staff undergoing targeted managerial and technical training over the last two years.

The training covered areas such as project management, stakeholder engagement, laboratory instrumentation, soil analysis and equipment maintenance.

The CEO added that NSI has also been repositioned as a national training hub through the NSDC/NSI Boot Camp initiative, delivering hands-on programmes in sugar processing, refining, quality control, industrial safety and environmental compliance.

On the impact of the reforms, Bakrin noted that the reforms are already translating into industry impact, citing technical training programmes for Golden Sugar Estate in Sunti, Niger State, and field-to-factory training for new hires at BUA’s Lafiagi Sugar Company in Kwara State.

“When we speak about progress at NSI, we are talking about a systematic rebuilding of institutional capacity. These reforms are positioning the Institute as a credible national centre of excellence for the sugar industry,” he said. (The PUNCH)

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