In Nigeria, cassava is not just food; it’s the country’s most produced crop by volume, accounting for nearly 20% of global output. As climate, population, and economic pressures mount across Africa, cassava’s role is expanding, and it is increasingly seen as a vehicle for industrialization, rural development, and regional trade.
In a conversation with Global South Pole, Dr. Waidi Adebayo, a Nigerian economist and a research associate at the Center for Economic Policy and Development Research [CEPDeR], Covenant University, Nigeria, explained how cassava can anchor economic diversification and agro-industrial growth if properly harnessed, pointing to the crop’s existing economic impact even without value-added processing as a clear sign of its untapped potential.
However, the Nigerian economist emphasized the need for bold thinking to unlock cassava’s full economic value. He noted that unlocking this potential requires not just production, but a deliberate shift toward infrastructure, technology, and coordinated policymaking.
“If Nigeria would tap into that $254 billion opportunity, what we need to first do is look at the whole cassava value chain properly. […] How do we take this from a subsistence farming and processing system into an industrialized system? […] I would advise that the government should invest in agro-industrial parks where big factories can produce bioethanol and starch. […] There should also be investments in research and development co-funded by the government and NGOs for high-quality starch and disease-resistant cassava varieties. […] Cassava should have its own export promotion zone with warehouses, streamlined customs, and nonstop permits to fast-track shipment to international buyers,” Dr. Adebayo stressed.
To listen to the whole conversation, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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