Nigerian conglomerate BUA Group, today, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group and local investment firm MAIR Group to develop a sugar refining and food processing operation anchored at Khalifa Port, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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The deal would see agricultural commodities, primarily sugar, shipped from Nigeria to Abu Dhabi, where they would be refined and redistributed across the Middle East and Asia in line with UAE’s broader Food Security Strategy 2051, which aims to reduce the country’s dependence on imported finished food products by building domestic processing capacity.
Khalifa Port, which serves more than 25 major shipping lines and connects to more than 70 destination ports globally, would serve as the hub for receiving, processing, storing and re-exporting the goods.
“This MoU marks an important milestone in BUA’s international expansion,” said Abdul Samad 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,” he said.
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For Nigeria, it offers a structured and predictable export channel for its agricultural output.
MAIR Group, a UAE-based strategic investment firm focused on developing the country’s food industry, is understood to have been the driving force behind the partnership, bringing BUA Group’s industrial expertise together with AD Ports’ infrastructure. Rabiu’s company said the Group will support in “creating a seamless platform for production, storage, and distribution.”
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing strategic industries in Abu Dhabi,” a representative of the group said.
The deal comes in tandem with the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the government of Nigeria and UAE, which eliminates tariffs on over 7,000 Nigerian and UAE product exports, including agricultural goods.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy had also recently signed a separate Mou with AD Ports Group, to “explore opportunities that can strengthen port efficiency, logistics connectivity, maritime services, and digital trade infrastructure,” the minister said.
Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria, described BUA’s deal as “tangible dividend of strengthened diplomatic ties and expanding economic cooperation.”
BUA Group, founded by billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, is one of Africa’s largest conglomerates with major operations in sugar refining, flour milling and cement manufacturing.
The three parties said they would now work to develop a full joint venture agreement. No capital commitments have been made yet.
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