The Nigerian government has launched the Cassava Bioethanol Project expected to reduce the country’s reliance on imported fuels and ethanol derivatives, potentially saving more than ₦3 trillion annually.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced this yesterday while speaking at the 2025 World Cassava Day celebration in Abuja.
Shettima described cassava as increasingly central to the Renewed Hope Agenda, and could be a strategic driver of industrial development, import substitution, energy transformation and rural revitalisation.
According to the Vice-President, the government’s strategy is transforming cassava from a staple food into a platform for broader economic reform.
He stressed that the new initiative will capitalise on cassava by-products—from peels to pulp—to develop a sustainable, value-added agricultural ecosystem.
Shettima also outlined the government’s move away from subsidy-driven programmes toward investment-led solutions, with a focus on mechanisation, agro‑processing zones and research-backed innovation. These actions reflect intent to ensure Nigeria leads not just in production but also in value creation and export.
The project further includes the deployment of the Semi‑Autotrophic Hydroponic (SAH) system, intended to accelerate the propagation of high-quality, disease-free cassava planting materials, addressing long-standing seed system constraints.
Shettima emphasised that generating domestic ethanol through cassava will also stimulate innovation in agro-industrial waste management and establish Nigeria as a leading exporter of clean energy solutions and cassava-based industrial products.
This vision is grounded in broad partnerships with international research institutions, private investors and governments of countries like Ethiopia and Brazil aimed at supporting Nigeria’s drive toward a bio-based economy that delivers jobs, revenue and sustainable growth, added Shettima.