The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to developing the cassava bioethanol value chain as part of efforts to boost industrial expansion and economic stability.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abeokuta during a capacity-building workshop for stakeholders on the Cassava Bioethanol Value Chain Development Project in the South-West zone.
Represented by the Director of Economic Growth, Auwal Mohammed, Bagudu said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to transform Nigeria’s agricultural strengths into industrial and economic gains. He explained that the project seeks to move Nigeria beyond producing cassava solely for food consumption toward large-scale industrial and energy applications.
Despite being the world’s largest cassava producer, Nigeria has not fully harnessed the crop’s economic potential, Bagudu noted. He highlighted that blending bioethanol with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) could reduce dependence on fuel imports and save billions of naira in foreign exchange.
“The initiative will stimulate a bio-based economy, strengthen the naira, and integrate millions of smallholder farmers into an expanded industrial value chain,” he said, adding that the project also unlocks value from high-quality starch, carbon dioxide captured during fermentation, and animal feed derived from distillery grains.
During the workshop, Prof. Olumuyiwa Jayeoba presented on “Nigeria’s Bio-Economy Framework and Cassava Bio-Ethanol,” describing the bio-economy as the sustainable use of renewable biological resources, scientific knowledge, and innovation to produce goods, services, and energy.
Bagudu encouraged stakeholders to leverage the workshop to gain technical expertise in high-yield cassava cultivation and efficient processing methods, emphasizing that the initiative is consistent with Nigeria’s National Bio-Economy Policy, which promotes a circular economy approach to maximise the full cassava value chain.
