Cameroon’s Nassourou Issa Launches $100m Sugar Project

Cameroonian entrepreneur Nassourou Issa has launched a $100 million (about 58 billion CFA franc) sugar factory project that is expected to produce 300,000 tons of sugar annually by 2028. The plant aims to strengthen domestic production and reduce Cameroon’s dependence on sugar imports. The project, backed by financing from Société Générale and CCA-Bank, has entered the civil engineering phase and is expected to become one of the largest sugar-processing facilities in Central Africa.

The investment comes as Cameroon continues to face a structural sugar deficit. National demand is estimated at about 300,000 tons per year, while local production has remained below that level, resulting in periodic import authorizations to meet market needs. According to project promoters, the new refinery’s planned output would be sufficient to cover domestic demand if production targets are achieved.

Nassourou Issa is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Nasco Group, a diversified Cameroonian company with interests in agribusiness, industrial development, trade and real estate. He studied business at ESB Business School in Germany before returning to Cameroon, where he invested in industrial projects focused on processing local raw materials.

Among his previous investments is SORAC, an agribusiness complex in Dibamba specializing in refined vegetable oil and soap production. The project reportedly required an investment of about 25 billion CFA francs and was developed to support local industrial production and reduce import dependence.

The sugar project is  part of Nasco Group’s broader expansion into industrial development, energy and agro-processing. The company plans to bring the refinery fully online by 2028. Once operational, the facility is expected to create jobs, support agricultural production and strengthen supply chains linked to sugarcane cultivation and processing. 

Industry data indicate that existing domestic sugar production ranges between 120,000 and 160,000 tons annually, below national consumption requirements. The new investment therefore represents a significant addition to Cameroon’s agro-industrial capacity and could increase locally processed sugar available on the market. 

The project will also require the establishment of a substantial sugarcane supply network to sustain the targeted production volume. Reports note that securing adequate raw material supply will be a key component of the factory’s operational strategy as construction progresses toward the 2028 commissioning target.

Mercy Fosoh