Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that cassava is now central to Nigeria’s industrial development and import substitution agenda under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during the 2025 World Cassava Day celebration, Mr Shettima said the Federal Government had repositioned cassava production to serve as a catalyst for economic growth, rural development, and national food and energy security.
He noted that the administration is shifting from subsidy-driven policies to investment-led initiatives.
He emphasised the government’s commitment to prioritising private sector capital, scientific research, and coordinated efforts across government agencies, academic institutions, and development partners to advance cassava mechanisation, processing, and full-scale commercialisation.
“Cassava, once seen as a crop for food security, now holds the promise of prosperity,” Mr Shettima said.
“We are moving from just growing cassava to transforming it into a profitable, value-driven sector. Nigeria must lead not just in tonnes harvested, but in value created.”
This year’s World Cassava Day, themed ‘Farm to Global Markets: Driving Industrialisation, Food Security and Exports’, highlighted the need to expand cassava’s role beyond local consumption to the global marketplace.
Mr Shettima identified cassava as a versatile agricultural asset, with applications spanning food, animal feed, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and even construction.
He cited the administration’s Cassava Bioethanol Project as a key initiative expected to save the country over N3 trillion annually by reducing reliance on imported fuel additives.
The project also aims to promote a circular economy by converting cassava by-products into energy, fertilisers, and industrial raw materials.
“This is how nations rise. What was once waste will become wealth. But we must move beyond plans to delivering tangible results. The world will remember our outcomes, not our intentions”, Mr Shettima said.
He commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other partners for their contributions to agricultural innovation, particularly in cassava seed multiplication through the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponic system.
He also praised Nigeria’s collaboration with Brazil in advancing cassava research, describing it as a testament to what can be achieved when ambition meets political will.
Highlighting the critical role of young people, Mr Shettima said Nigeria’s youth must be empowered not only to farm cassava but to innovate and lead its transformation, just as they have done in fintech and agritech sectors.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, reaffirmed the government’s dedication to accelerating cassava sector growth through targeted interventions.
The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, underscored cassava’s industrial potential and pledged the ministry’s support for research partnerships and value chain development.
Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, said the celebration of World Cassava Day underscores the government’s vision to put cassava at the centre of Nigeria’s socio-economic transformation.
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In his goodwill message, Alain-Thierry Mbongue, Regional Chief Operating Officer of Afreximbank, called on stakeholders to embrace cassava’s potential to drive job creation, industrial growth, and foreign exchange earnings.
He also reiterated the bank’s ongoing support for Nigeria’s agricultural revolution.
Other goodwill messages came from the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, the IFAD Country Director, Dede Ekoue, and representatives of Agbayewa Farms, Cavista Holdings, and other development partners.
