Illovo Sugar (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Illovo Sugar Africa ranks as Africa’s largest sugar producer, with mills and cane estates in KwaZulu-Natal and operations in several other African countries. Illovo belongs to ABF Sugar, the sugar division of Associated British Foods plc, the international ingredients and retail group.

Registered name

Illovo Sugar (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Type

Private company (sugar production)

Fields funded

Engineering, agriculture and food science

Website

illovosugarafrica.com

Email

websa@illovo.co.za

Phone

+27 31 508 4300

Part of a global sugar business

ABF Sugar describes itself as one of the world’s leading sugar businesses, operating 21 plants in nine countries and employing around 35 000 people. ABF Sugar produces about 4.5 million tonnes of sugar a year, and ABF Sugar says it uses every stick of sugar cane and every root of sugar beet in its processes, turning by-products into other products as well as sugar.

ABF Sugar has set itself 2030 commitments to build a sustainable future for its communities, businesses and customers. Those commitments affect how Illovo runs its mills and cane estates in Africa.

What a sugar business needs

A sugar mill works like a large chemical factory: cane arrives from farms, and engineers, chemists and process technicians turn it into raw and refined sugar, with power and steam produced on site. Cane estates need agronomists, soil scientists and irrigation specialists. Illovo has supported bursaries and skills development for students in agriculture, engineering and food science, according to a provider record checked in August 2026.

The current status of the Illovo bursary

For many years Illovo funded engineering and agriculture students through a bursary linked to its operations. Illovo had not published a 2027 bursary call on major listing sites, and its careers portal showed no open bursary when BursariesAfrica checked.

How to research Illovo opportunities

Email Illovo’s South African office and ask whether a bursary, graduate programme or learnership will run for 2027, and which operations take students. Check the careers section of Illovo’s website and ABF Sugar’s site for Southern African vacancies.

Students from KwaZulu-Natal’s sugar-growing areas should also ask local cane growers’ associations and the South African Sugarcane Research Institute about agricultural training and funding, since the wider sugar industry supports skills development too.

Because Illovo’s bursary is not confirmed, apply to active engineering and agriculture funders in the same year.

See our Engineering Bursaries page for funders with open calls.