The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has said that cassava holds immense potential not just as a food crop but as a major driver of Nigeria’s industrial development and economic transformation.
Speaking at the maiden edition of World Cassava Day in Nigeria, held under the theme “Farm to Global Markets: Driving Industrialisation, Food Security and Exports,” the Vice President commended Agbeyewa Farms and Cavista Holdings for sponsoring the historic event and aligning with the Federal Government’s vision for agricultural-based industrial growth.
Shettima noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is committed to transforming cassava into a key component of Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda through private sector investments, research, mechanisation, and agro-processing.
“This administration believes cassava is not just a food security crop, but a tool for prosperity. With coordinated investments and the right policies, cassava can become a major export commodity and a substitute for imported industrial raw materials,” Shettima said.
The Vice President lauded Agbeyewa Farms’ strides in commercial agriculture and praised its commitment to transforming cassava into an exportable product that can strengthen the economy and create jobs.
“Agbeyewa’s vision to harness cassava for industrial uses and export aligns with the President’s economic roadmap of moving from subsidy-driven programmes to investment-led growth. We must reengineer the economy from the grassroots, and this is the way forward,” he added.
Dignitaries at the event included stakeholders from the Nigerian agricultural sector, international delegates from Brazil and China, as well as policy-makers and representatives of cassava value chain operators.
Shettima also paid special tribute to Mr. John Olajide, Chairman of Agbeyewa Farms, for his investment drive across Nigeria and Africa, describing him as a “bold visionary whose work reflects the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives and economies.”
The World Cassava Day celebration marks a new chapter in Nigeria’s quest to fully commercialise one of its most abundant crops and position it as a catalyst for rural development, food self-sufficiency, and industrial sustainability.