By Lucy Ogalue
Stakeholders have called for strong continental policies, improved financing, and coordinated innovation to transform cassava on the continent.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the 2nd African Cassava Conference (ACC 2025), participants said a coordinated continental framework move cassava from a subsistence crop to a strategic industrial and economic driver.
This, they said, would transform cassava from a subsistence crop into a strategic driver of Africa’s industrialisation, food security and green energy ambitions.
The conference which held in Abuja was with theme: “Building Sustainable and Quality-Driven Cassava Industries in Africa”.
It brought together government officials, researchers, development partners, and private sector leaders from across the continent.
Participants however expressed concern that in spite producing 65 per cent of the world’s cassava, Africa captured only a minimal share of the over 10 billion dollar global cassava market.
They said the sector had continued to underperform due to low yields, weak value chains, poor mechanisation, high post-harvest losses and inconsistent policies.
They described cassava as Africa’s green gold and a symbol of the continent’s resilience, but said that fragmented linkages between research institutions, farmers and markets had slowed progress.
Nigeria, they said, is the continent’s largest producer and consumer of cassava, still struggled with low productivity and inadequate processing infrastructure.
They reiterated that women, who dominated cassava processing, bore the “highest drudgery” due to limited access to mechanised tools.
Participants also highlighted rising insecurity as a major disruptor of cassava and other crop farming, calling for the adoption of technology-driven solutions to safeguard farmers and processors.
On opportunities, participants cited emerging technologies such as the TER-MCH mechanical harvester, which reduced harvesting labour by 90 per cent, and the use of computer-aided engineering to improve processing equipment efficiency.
They recommended that African governments must urgently develop clear policy frameworks.
They listed some of the policies to include biofuel and ethanol blending mandates, backed by fiscal incentives, credit guarantees and public investment in rural roads, energy supply and integrated processing hubs.
Participants further urged increased funding for applied research in biofortification, climate-resilient varieties, drying technologies and locally engineered processing machines.
They urged the Organised Private Sector to invest in large-scale plants for high-value derivatives such as industrial starch, ethanol and bioplastics.
They also tasked research institutions with developing improved and scalable cassava varieties.
The delegates called for a 20 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread production, harmonised standards to facilitate cross-border trade and the establishment of a Pan-African Cassava Industrialisation Working Group.
They urged financial institutions, including Afreximbank, to create tailored instruments to de-risk the value chain, support large-scale commercial cultivation and facilitate market linkages through structured contracts.
According to the stakeholders, successful implementation of the recommendations would reposition cassava as a catalyst for youth employment, export growth, sustainable aviation fuel production and continental competitiveness.
The Pan African Alliance of Small and Medium Industries (PAOSMI) expressed appreciation to the Federal Government of Nigeria, development partners and the ACC 2025 steering committee for their commitment.
The conference resolved to set up an ACC-2025 Implementation Monitoring Group to track the execution of the resolutions and present the communiqué to the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat for policy integration.(NAN)