The Government of Kenya supported by the European Union launched its National Roots and Tuber Crops Development Strategy in 2019. http://www.kilimo.go.ke/ 

            

• Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization [KALRO ] http://www.kalro.org/.
• National Agricultural Research [NARO ] http://www.naro.go.ug/
• Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute [TARI ] http://www.tari.go.tz/
• Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute [ ISAR ] http://www.asti.cgiar.org/
• National Agricultural Study and Research Institute [ INERA ] DRC http://www.dynafac.org
• Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi- GFAR  http://www.gfar.net/
• Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) https://www.ilri.org/
• CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to
  transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis https://www.cgiar.org/
• Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) – Sudan http://arcsudan.sd/
• Agricultural Research Corporation - Khartoum North https://www.gfar.net/organizations/agricultural-research-corporation-kharto

Does your country, foundation, institution or organization desire to see a food-secured and prosperous continent of Africa? A vibrant and profitable cassava sector is one of the master keys.

• Are you an agricultural trade fair sponsor?
• Are you a social media influencer anywhere in the world?
• Are you a cassava processing equipment manufacturer?
• Are you in the branding and packaging industries?
• Are you interested in growing cassava commercially?
• Are you already growing cassava and do not have a buyer?
• Is processing cassava commercially?

Do you use or require high-grade and affordable industrial cassava products like starch for your products?

If your answer to the above enquiries is yes, that’s great. It’s a new dawn, this novel idea is the perfect platform for gathering valuable cassava information. We have studied and carefully analyzed the factors hindering the wider adoption of cassava as a staple food and cash crop in East Africa and come up with workable solutions.

We are seeking a mutual, transparent, accountable and verifiable partnership with you to champion this cause of boosting food security and Inter African trade.

Our continent has the potential of being food secure as well as being the world’s bread basket. Yes! Here is a golden opportunity to show your LOVE for Mama Africa, and increase your brand’s visibility, social media followings and market share.

The fact that fifteen African countries are in the Food and Agricultural Organization’s [FAO] ranking list of the top twenty-fives cassava-producing countries in the world and thirteen out of twenty in the World Atlas list respectively are encouraging good news. However, no African country is on the list of the top cassava exporting nations. A great business opportunity, therefore, exists in the continent’s human, livestock feed and industrial cassava sectors as it is lagging behind the Asian and South American countries in terms of the foreign exchange earnings from the crop’s value chain products export market. This could be reversed to the benefit of the continent through this cassava trade fair concept.

While cassava is largely grown as cash and staple food crop of choice in West & Central Africa, South America and Asia and is considered a rich man’s food, champions food of choice, a prosperity cash crop and a top foreign exchange earner, it is regarded as a subsistence crop and a poor man’s staple food with a lot of myth because of its cyanide content in most East & Southern Africa Countries. Lack of positive public awareness sampans could be blamed for this mindset.  

Why East African?

• There are 19 countries in East Africa out of which Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan are members of the East Africa Community [EAC]

Maize is the staple food of choice for most of East African countries hence the underutilization of cassava as a staple and crop within the region, its industrialization potential is massive and untapped.

• A stable political environment, high level of governance and democracy exists in the region.

• East Africa is a huge economic zone with a population of over 120 million potential customers. The admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the East Africa Community in March 29 2022 has increased the population.

• Warm, welcoming and hospitable people.
• Affordable skilled and unskilled labour force.
• Creative and enterprising youth force.
• Loyal, reliable and predictable customers
• World’s fastest reforming region in terms of business regulations.
• Garnetted return on investment etc.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24^th of February 2022 led to a global wheat supply shortage and increased demand for cassava flour, many people outside the cassava consuming countries did not know that Cassava Flour is gluten free and a good substitute for wheat in the baking industries.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda’s motivational speech in May 2022 urging Africans to go back to their roots and start consuming cassava for its health benefits and food security potential as did our forefathers went viral on all the social media platforms and stimulated the interest of consumers in East Africa.

A follow up of this positive vibe through the ‘’First Ever’’ Cassava Trade Fair & Festival-East Africa Edition could be a game changer in unlocking cassava potential within the region.