By Bunmi Yekini
A coalition of cassava industry groups has submitted a national policy framework to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Development aimed at positioning cassava as a strategic industrial crop and cutting Nigeria’s dependence on wheat imports.
Dr. Tony Bello, Co-Convener of the Nigeria Cassava Industrialisation Group (NCIG), said in a statement on Sunday that the unified National Cassava Industrialisation and Inclusion Policy (NCIIP) supports the High-Quality Cassava Flour Mandatory Inclusion in Composite Flour Production Bill, 2022 (SB 923).
“If fully implemented, the framework could save Nigeria over ₦250 billion annually in wheat import costs, create more than 1.2 million jobs, and drive inclusive industrial growth through innovation, local value addition, and regional market expansion,” Bello said.
The policy, developed jointly by the NCIG, the Industrial Cassava Stakeholders Association of Nigeria, and other partners, proposes the creation of a Nigeria Cassava Industrialisation Council (NCIC) to coordinate national action.
“The NCIIP proposes the establishment of the Nigeria Cassava Industrialisation Council to be co-chaired by the Vice President and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security,” Bello said. “This will serve as the central platform for coordinating national action on cassava industrialisation.”
He added that the council would align government and private-sector efforts with support from development finance institutions including the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, NIRSAL, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and Afreximbank.
Describing the framework as “a national roadmap for food sovereignty and industrial resilience,” Bello said cassava “represents the bridge between agriculture, manufacturing, and trade, powering new industries, jobs and markets for Nigeria and the Diaspora.”
Bello said the policy builds on over two decades of research and innovation linking research institutions, equipment manufacturers, ingredient producers, and food manufacturers across Nigeria and beyond.
“We are proving that Africa’s food systems can be modern, globally competitive, and driven by local ingenuity and Diaspora investment,” he said.
The coalition urged the National Assembly to adopt the NCIC framework under Senate Bill 923 and to institutionalise inter-ministerial collaboration among the ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Industry, Trade and Investment, and Health and Social Welfare.
They also proposed creating a Cassava Industrialisation and Innovation Facility (CIIF) to support research, small businesses, and market readiness.
According to Bello, the framework emphasises quality assurance and traceability through regulatory agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS), and NAFDAC to ensure that cassava products meet domestic and export standards.