As part of its international business expansion, BUA Group has sealed a refining facility understanding with UAE.
The deal, inked on 16 February, positions Khalifa Port which is one of the UAE’s most strategically located deep‑water hubs, as a centre for processing and exporting Nigerian agricultural commodities, especially sugar.
Under the MoU, BUA Group will work with AD Ports and MAIR to establish facilities that will refine Nigerian sugar in Abu Dhabi and build out agro‑industrial infrastructure and global logistics channels from structured aggregation and storage to maritime export.
“This MoU marks an important milestone in BUA’s international expansion,” said Rabiu, founder and chairman of BUA Group.
“Together with AD Ports Group and MAIR Group, we aim to develop sustainable food production and logistics solutions that strengthen regional supply chains and support the UAE’s Food Security Strategy 2051.”
The partnership aligns with the UAE Food Security Strategy 2051, which seeks to develop domestic processing capacity to reduce dependence on imported finished food products
The partnership aligns with the UAE Food Security Strategy 2051, which seeks to develop domestic processing capacity to reduce dependence on imported finished food products
Khalifa Port, which connects to more than 70 destinations through over 25 major shipping lines, will serve as the logistics and refining hub that links West Africa to the Middle East and Asia.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hailed the agreement as a “significant industrial and trade breakthrough”, noting that it reflects renewed diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the UAE under recent state visits that prioritised trade, investment, food security, and infrastructure cooperation.
The President, through his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the agreement reflects strengthened diplomatic ties and expanding economic cooperation with the UAE, following recent high-level engagements focused on trade, investment, infrastructure, and food security.
He called the MoU a “tangible dividend of strengthened Nigeria–UAE relations”, saying it reinforces confidence in Nigeria’s reform agenda and reflects Nigerian enterprises’ ability to compete on the global stage.
While no capital commitments or full joint‑venture terms have yet been disclosed, the agreement lays the groundwork for a structured export corridor that could significantly enhance Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, strengthen West Africa’s trade linkages with the Gulf region, and expand market access to Asia.
