In this interview, the Chief Innovation & Commercialisation Officer at Matna Foods Limited, a Cavista Holding Company, Dr. Tony Bello, argues that as the world’s largest producer of cassava, Nigeria possesses a strategic opportunity to transform agricultural production into industrial value creation and export competitiveness. Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts.
Nigeria is seeing renewed attention on agriculture as a driver of jobs, food security, and industrial growth. What is driving this shift, and how can it be sustained beyond rhetoric?
Several global and domestic developments have converged to place agriculture back at the center of economic and national policy discussions. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains and reminded nations that food security is inseparable from national security. The Russia-Ukraine conflict disrupted grain, fertilizer, and energy markets across the world, while continuing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have reinforced concerns about supply chain resilience, inflation, and economic stability. These events have fundamentally changed how governments, investors, and businesses think about agriculture. Besides, food security is no longer viewed solely as a social issue. It is increasingly recognized as an economic, industrial, and national security imperative. Countries are realizing that dependence on global markets on critical food and agricultural inputs carries risks that extend far beyond agriculture.
