The Director-General of the Pan-African Organisation for Small and Medium Industries, Dr. Henry Emejuo, says cassava remains central to Africa’s food security and industrial development.
Emejuo, who spoke on the sidelines of the just-concluded three-day Africa Cassava Conference in Abuja, described the crop as both an economic commodity and a daily staple across the continent.
He said “cassava’s versatility made it indispensable to households, noting that there was hardly any day a Nigerian or African home does not consume a cassava-based product such as garri or tapioca.”
Emejuo added that the crop also holds significant industrial value, producing materials such as ethanol, high-quality cassava flour, sorbitol and healthy sweeteners used across manufacturing sectors.
The PAOSMI boss said, “Delegates from more than seven African countries spent three days examining policy, technical and scientific issues affecting the cassava value chain.”
Mustafa Bakano, National President, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, said deliberations from the meeting would address key challenges faced by smallholder farmers, including access to finance, farming practices and industrial standards.
According to him, the presence of financial institutions such as the Bank of Industry offered stakeholders the opportunity to develop practical solutions that would be presented to governments.
Also speaking, Prof. Michael Kento, an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Sciences and Food Security at the University of Juba, South Sudan, described the conference as an eye-opener for his country.
Kento added that Nigeria’s cassava success would translate to the continent’s success and that deeper collaboration between both countries would strengthen the subsector and improve food security, nutrition, and industrial growth in South Sudan.
Prof. Emmanuel Bobobee of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, said mechanised cassava production was key to transforming the crop into an engine for Africa’s next phase of industrial development.
(NAN)
