Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has repositioned cassava production to serve as a major driver of industrial development and import substitution in Nigeria.
Speaking during the 2025 World Cassava Day celebration held in Abuja, the Vice President highlighted the strategic importance of cassava in transforming Nigeria’s economy. According to him, the federal government’s agenda is focused on using cassava as a key economic asset that will boost rural livelihoods, enhance national food and energy security, and stimulate agro-industrial growth.
He stated, “We are moving from subsidy-heavy programmes to investment-led solutions. We are prioritising private capital, research, and coordinated action across government, academia and development partners, to drive mechanisation, agro-processing, quality inputs, and full commercialisation of cassava.”
Shettima noted that cassava, once known mainly as a survival crop, now holds the potential to promote prosperity, thanks to its growing role in agro-processing, ethanol production, and high-demand export markets.
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