As Africa’s most populous nation seeks to diversify its economy away from oil and drive industrialisation, cassava crop has been seen as a promising produce to drive the country’s industrial growth.With its numerous industrial applications, from food processing to pharmaceuticals, cassava is being touted as a key player in Nigeria’s quest for economic transformation.This is the consensus of stakeholders who convened at the office of the Vice President to mark World Cassava Day 2025.The event, themed “Farm to Global Markets: Driving Industrialisation, Food Security and Exports,” brought national attention to cassava’s untapped economic potential.
“Cassava industrialisation is critical to driving inclusive economic growth in Nigeria,” said Olayinka David-West, a professor and dean of Lagos Business School during a panel discussion.
“But it cannot happen in isolation. It requires deliberate collaboration, de-risked and patient capital, and policies that connect smallholder productivity to large-scale processing and market offtake,” said David-West who is also the project lead of the Nigeria Cassava Investment Accelerator (NCIA).
Africa’s biggest economy churns out 62.7 million metric tons of cassava tubers in 2023, according to data from the Food and Agricultural Organisation, which accounts for one-fifth of global production, a PwC report said.
This position puts Nigeria in a strong competitive advantage that can be tapped for an astounding economic impact.
Achieving such a prospect is possible if quality issues and technological gaps undermining the value chain potential are addressed.
