Last Updated on September 11, 2026 by Olasunkanmi Olajide
By Raymond Osemene
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), in collaboration with the Industrial Cassava Stakeholders’ Association of Nigeria (INCSAN) and other development partners, has commenced a Technical, Leadership and Business Training Programme for Young Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs.
The 4-Day programme, which commenced on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at the Career Service and Linkages Unit (CLSU), would end on Friday, September 11, 2026, and it was designed to equip about 100 graduate farmers with the technical, entrepreneurial and leadership skills required to establish and manage profitable cassava seed enterprises.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, the President of INCSAN, Mr. Segun Ladele, described the Association as a non-profit organisation registered under Nigerian law in July 2016 to provide a platform for collaboration, conventions and coalitions among stakeholders in the industrial cassava sector.
Mr. Ladele acknowledged the role of IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative) in convening stakeholders and supporting the establishment and development of INCSAN, noting that the organisation had continued to receive its support since inception.
He disclosed that INCSAN had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FUNAAB for the establishment of a 25-hectare cassava seed multiplication farm, describing the initiative as a significant intervention towards strengthening Nigeria’s cassava seed system and advancing the cassava value chain.
According to him, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with key development and research institutions, including the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), IITA GoSeed, the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and PROSSIVA.
He explained that the training combined classroom sessions with practical field demonstrations, facilitated by experts drawn from the collaborating organisations, to provide participants with hands-on knowledge applicable to cassava seed production and enterprise development.
The sessions covered the fundamentals of establishing a certified cassava seed business, Good Agronomic Practices for cassava seed farm management, strategies for developing profitable cassava seed enterprises, leadership, and customer management.
Mr. Ladele urged the participants to maximise the opportunity by acquiring the technical, business and leadership competencies necessary to build sustainable enterprises, stressing that their responsibilities would extend beyond individual businesses to strengthening the wider cassava value chain.
He noted that the trainees could help bridge the existing distribution gap in the availability of newly improved cassava varieties, particularly by facilitating access to quality planting materials among smallholder farmers in rural communities across Nigeria.
The programme is expected to contribute to the emergence of a new generation of technically competent cassava seed entrepreneurs capable of producing and distributing quality planting materials, thereby enhancing agricultural productivity, improving livelihoods and promoting sustainable growth in Nigeria’s cassava sector.
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