BUA, Abu Dhabi partners to turn Khalifa Port into sugar gateway for Nigerian exports

BUA Group has struck a cross-border trade deal with Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group and United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based MAIR Group to create a new agricultural export corridor linking Nigeria to the Middle East and Asia, using Khalifa Port as the operational base.

Rather than shipping refined products from Nigeria, the plan will move raw and semi-processed sugar and other farm commodities from Nigerian facilities to the UAE. There, the cargo will be refined, packaged, and redistributed across regional markets as part of the UAE’s push to grow its domestic food-processing industry.

The project is anchored on the UAE’s Food Security Strategy 2051, which targets reduced dependence on imported finished food products by strengthening local production and supply chains.

Khalifa Port, a logistics hub served by more than 25 shipping lines with access to over 70 international destinations, will function as the processing and redistribution centre. The port will also provide storage and re-export services for the Nigerian cargo.

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BUA’s founder and Chairman, Mr Abdul Samad Rabiu, said the agreement signals the company’s transition from a purely domestic producer into a global agribusiness player. He added that the partnership will focus on sustainable food systems and integrated logistics that improve regional supply reliability.

For Nigeria, the arrangement introduces a stable and predictable export channel for agricultural produce, with sugar as the lead commodity.

MAIR Group, which specialises in food-sector investments in the UAE, is understood to have driven the deal by linking BUA’s industrial capacity with the port and logistics network controlled by AD Ports Group. BUA said the structure was designed to merge production, storage, and distribution into one seamless value chain.

A spokesperson for the Abu Dhabi partners said the collaboration reflected a wider strategy to build industries that supported long-term economic growth in the emirate.

The agreement also follows recent trade and maritime cooperation between both countries. Nigeria and the UAE have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which removes tariffs on over 7,000 goods, including agricultural products.

Separately, Nigeria’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has signed an MoU with AD Ports Group to explore improvements in port operations, logistics connectivity, maritime services, and digital trade platforms.

President Bola Tinubu welcomed the deal, calling it a concrete outcome of closer diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and the UAE.

BUA Group is one of Africa’s largest industrial conglomerates, with core businesses in sugar, flour, and cement. The parties said the MoU will now be developed into a full joint venture agreement, although no funding figures or timelines was announced.