The Cassava Conference highlighted the crop’s role in Africa’s food security and industrial growth, promoting collaboration across seven countries

The Cassava Conference has reinforced cassava’s role as a cornerstone of Africa’s food security and industrial development.

Also read: Kanu Ruling Intensifies Tension Nationwide

Dr Henry Emejuo, Director-General of the Pan-African Organisation for Small and Medium Industries, highlighted the crop’s economic and nutritional importance during the three-day event in Abuja.

Emejuo described cassava as a versatile commodity, noting that “there is hardly any day a Nigerian or African home does not consume a cassava-based product such as garri or tapioca.”

Beyond its dietary value, he stressed the crop’s industrial applications, including ethanol production, high-quality cassava flour, sorbitol, and healthy sweeteners used in manufacturing sectors.

The conference offered policymakers, scientists, and industrialists a platform to harmonise strategies for expanding cassava utilisation and unlocking its economic potential.

Delegates from more than seven African countries examined policy, technical, and scientific issues affecting the cassava value chain.

Mustafa Bakano, National President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, said the deliberations addressed key challenges facing smallholder farmers, including access to finance, farming practices, and industrial standards.

He highlighted the participation of financial institutions like the Bank of Industry, which helped stakeholders design practical solutions to be presented to governments.

International experts also participated. Professor Michael Kento, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Sciences and Food Security at the University of Juba, South Sudan, said Nigeria’s cassava leadership provides a model for other countries.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration to strengthen the subsector, enhance food security, improve nutrition, and drive industrial growth in South Sudan.

Professor Emmanuel Bobobee of Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology highlighted mechanised cassava production as essential for large-scale industrialisation.

He noted that his mechanical cassava harvester, already deployed in several countries, could support wider adoption and boost production.

Bobobee added, “The participation of seven countries demonstrates rising continental interest in cassava, and the crop should be placed at the centre of Africa’s fourth industrial revolution. Ghana and Nigeria share similar agricultural challenges, and both countries stand to benefit from sharing innovations and strengthening cross-border collaboration.”

The three-day conference concluded with a dinner and awards ceremony recognising distinguished players and partners in the sector.

Also read: FAAC Allocates N2.094 Trillion for October 2025 to All Tiers of Government

Organisers expressed optimism that the discussions and outcomes would guide African countries in expanding industrial use of cassava and solidifying its role in the continent’s economic development.