Nigeria Partners 40-Nation Network to Boost Cassava, Soybean Processing
Chukwu Obinna 
cassava tree in farm and sunset
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Federal Government agrees to partner with a 40-nation African industrial network to scale up processing of cassava, soybean, ginger and sesame, aiming to shift agriculture from raw exports to value-added production.
The collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Pan African Alliance of Small and Medium Industries (PAOSMI) was confirmed after high-level talks in Abuja on Thursday.
Director-General of PAOSMI Henry Emejuo says the partnership aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 Community Activation Project, designed to establish community-based agro-processing enterprises across Africa.
“The time has come for stakeholders to stop working in silos and ensure synergy for continental growth,” Emejuo says.
He calls on Nigeria’s parliament to fast-track legislation mandating 20 per cent cassava flour content in pastries, citing outcomes of a recent African Conference on Cassava.
Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari welcomes the initiative, noting Nigeria’s dual challenge of meeting domestic soybean demand of 2.4 million tonnes while producing 1.2 million tonnes for export to Saudi Arabia.
“We look forward to extensive collaboration. Let us draw a clear timeline and bring key stakeholders into a Public-Private Partnership,” Kyari says.
PAOSMI Director Lawal Buga describes cassava as a strategic crop due to its uses in food security, industrial manufacturing and job creation. Planned products include high-quality cassava flour, starch, ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel and animal feed.
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