Dr Tony Bello, the Founder, Shine Bridge Global, an agricultural policy think-tank and food technology transfer company, has urged governments at all levels to prioritise investments in cassava industrialisation.
Bello, who made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, said such investments would be a cornerstone for clean-label innovation, food security, and rural transformation.
He urged all relevant stakeholders including manufacturers and investors to prioritise cassava as a strategic industrial crop, not just a food security buffer.
Bello, a globally renowned food scientist, said though Nigeria was the largest producer of cassava in the world, only about 10 per cent was being processed industrially.
The food innovator, who is also the chairman of the firm, said that there was an urgent need for deliberate actions to untuck the potential and harness Nigeria’s missed economic opportunities in cassava industrialisation.
“Only 10 per cent of cassava cultivated in Nigeria is processed at industrial scale, despite the country being the world’s largest producer of the root crop.
“This is a wake-up call, cassava is not just a staple, it is a cornerstone for clean-label innovation, food security, and rural transformation but the full potential remains untapped.
“I am urging government at all levels, all stakeholders including manufacturers and investors to prioritise cassava as a strategic industrial crop, not just a food security buffer.”
Bello, a former executive at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods, envisions cassava as the “covenant crop” of a new food economy rooted in sustainability, faith and justice.
According to him, when Nigeria leads, Africa thrives and when the remnant rises, the world eats well.
Bello said that Shine Bridge Global and SingSong Global, a joint venture, was focused on transforming cassava into high-value, gluten-free food systems.
According to him, the team has successfully developed cassava-based instant noodles and prawn crackers, ready for market unveiling.
He explained that the innovations used naturally modified starches produced through a chemical-free and protected process involving pre-cooking and drum drying.
“This technology ensures consistent functionality for applications in snacks, sauces, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) replacements, and more; meeting the rising global demand for clean-label, plant-based ingredients.
“We are not just selling cassava, we are reshaping the narrative of African food excellence,” Bello said.
He said that the joint venture had already begun deploying community-level processing hubs in Oyo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Cross River States.
The expert said that the deployment was supported by traceability tools, regenerative farming training, and guaranteed offtake agreements for smallholder farmers.
He said that testimonies already abound.
Bello said that one of the beneficiaries in Akwa Ibom attested that the product restored the community’s place in the economy. (NAN)
