The ACP sugar research programme will provide solutions to the sugar industry in ACP countries, by responding to a selected number of clearly identified technological challenges that hamper the sugarcane sector's performance. A total of eleven research and innovation projects will be implemented under the programme, covering three distinctive areas of research: (cane varieties, costs and losses cuttings)

The purpose of this programme is to assist the ACP Sugarcane Research Programme and its Steering Committee ; providing them with a Coordinating Unit to support five research stations (MSIRI, SIRI, SRIF, SSA, WICSBCS) in attaining their goals and fostering networking among ACP research stations to strengthen their capabilities, increase communication and enhance the sharing of information and research outputs.

The ACP Secretariat is the contracting authority and it is the responsible body for the management of the research programme. It is in overall charge of the programme. This project is funded by the European Union (Europe Aid/DEVCO).