Stakeholders at the 2nd African Cassava Conference (ACC 2025) have called for robust continental policies, improved financing, and coordinated innovation to transform cassava from a subsistence crop into an industrial powerhouse.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Abuja conference themed “Building Sustainable and Quality-Driven Cassava Industries in Africa,” participants warned that despite producing 65% of the world’s cassava, Africa captures only a fraction of the over $10 billion global market. They blamed low yields, weak value chains, poor mechanisation, post-harvest losses, and inconsistent policies for the sector’s stagnation.
Describing cassava as Africa’s green gold, delegates highlighted the need for stronger linkages between researchers, farmers, processors, and markets. They also raised concerns over insecurity and the heavy drudgery faced by women—who dominate cassava processing due to limited access to mechanised tools.
The communiqué identified emerging opportunities, including the TER-MCH mechanical harvester, which cuts harvesting labour by 90%, and new engineering technologies for efficient processing.
Participants urged African governments to urgently develop clear policy frameworks such as biofuel and ethanol blending mandates, fiscal incentives, credit guarantees, and public investment in rural roads, energy, and integrated processing hubs.
They further called for increased funding for applied research, large-scale investments in industrial starch, ethanol and bioplastics, adoption of a 20% cassava flour inclusion in bread, harmonised regional standards, and the creation of a Pan-African Cassava Industrialisation Working Group.
Financial institutions, including Afreximbank, were encouraged to design de-risking instruments and support commercial cultivation through structured contracts.
Stakeholders said effective implementation of the recommendations could make cassava a major driver of youth employment, export growth, sustainable aviation fuel, and continental competitiveness.
The conference also resolved to set up an ACC-2025 Implementation Monitoring Group to track progress and present the communiqué to the African Union Commission and AfCFTA Secretariat.
