By Agrobroadcast Team
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to reposition cassava from a staple food crop to a key industrial raw material, unveiling plans to deepen investment in Nigeria’s cassava bioethanol value chain as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the economy.
Speaking in Abeokuta on Wednesday at a capacity-building workshop for stakeholders under the Cassava Bioethanol Value Chain Development Project in the South-West, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the initiative is central to the administration’s push for industrial growth and economic resilience.
Bagudu, who was represented by Auwal Mohammed, Director of Economic Growth at the ministry, explained that the programme aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Bola Tinubu, which aims to convert Nigeria’s agricultural advantages into sustainable industrial and economic outcomes.
He noted that as global economies shift towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, bioethanol offers Nigeria a strategic opportunity to diversify its energy mix and unlock new economic value.
According to the minister, the project is designed to transition Nigeria from producing cassava primarily for food consumption to harnessing it for large-scale industrial and energy applications. Despite ranking as the world’s largest cassava producer, he observed that the country has yet to fully maximise the crop’s vast economic potential.
Bagudu further stated that blending bioethanol with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) could significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports and conserve billions of naira in foreign exchange. He added that the initiative would stimulate a bio-based economy, support the stability of the naira, and integrate millions of smallholder farmers into a more structured and profitable industrial value chain.
The minister said the programme is in line with Nigeria’s National Bio-Economy Policy, which promotes a circular economic model that ensures optimal utilisation of cassava and its by-products.
Beyond ethanol production, the initiative also targets value addition in areas such as high-quality starch, carbon dioxide captured during fermentation processes, and animal feed produced from distillery grains.
Bagudu urged participants at the workshop to take advantage of the training to build capacity in high-yield cassava cultivation and efficient processing technologies, stressing that proper technical knowledge would be critical to the project’s success.
He assured stakeholders that the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning remains committed to ensuring prudent investment in the initiative, with measurable outcomes in job creation, youth empowerment, and improved food security.
“We are not merely establishing factories,” he said. “We are laying the foundation for Nigeria to emerge as a global hub for bio-resources.”
In a related presentation, Olumuyiwa Jayeoba, President of the Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities, spoke on Nigeria’s bio-economy framework and the role of cassava bioethanol.
He defined the bio-economy as the sustainable utilisation of renewable biological resources, scientific innovation, and technology to produce goods, services, and energy, adding that its development has the potential to reduce poverty and enhance both energy and food security nationwide.