The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, has lauded the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (CAVA II) Project on effective management. The Vice-Chancellor gave the commendation while receiving Principal Officers of the project, who recently paid him a courtesy visit, as the programme officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Orin Hasson, has restated the need for more African countries to invest in the production of cassava. The Vice-Chancellor noted that CAVA II had been well managed in the areas of accountability and timely release of project funds to its partners, as demanded by its financier, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Professor Oyewole, who is also the President, Association of African Universities (AAU), stated that “the issue that we thought would be a problem, which is the proper and timely release of funds has not been a problem. There has not been an issue with the funding, the funds are timely and properly released, as demanded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”. Professor Oyewole also lauded the leadership of CAVA II Project for proper and timely release of funds for the smooth implementation of the multi-national project operating in the five African countries, namely: Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda.

While giving an update of the project’s activities, the Project Director, Professor Kolawole Adebayo, pointed out that CAVA II was an opportunity for FUNAAB to be a leader in the rank of African institutions that were being tested for the management of grants, adding that the project would open doors of opportunities for other African institutions. “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is very interested in this project. It is the Foundation’s main experiment in providing funds directly to African institutions for implementing multi-country projects. We are mindful of this. So, we ensure 100 percent transparency and accountability in the management of the project”. Professor Adebayo also disclosed that CAVA II had maintained utmost meticulousness in ensuring proper management and timely release of project funds. “Proper funds management is very important in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. So, we make sure that the transfer of funds have been timely. Between May and September last year, everybody got their money as and when due. We also ask for prompt reporting of accounts and our partners have been providing that, too”.

The Country Manager of CAVA II, Nigeria, Professor Lateef Sanni, highlighted some of the successes recorded by the project in the country. “We have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), with the biggest cassava processing company in Nigeria, which is Thai Farms International. It uses about 60 tonnes of cassava daily and we are mobilising farmers to deliver cassava roots to it (Thai Farms). Greentech Company has also signed MoU with us to deliver roots to their factories. We have also signed MoU with Allied Atlantic Distillers Limited (AADL). We are working with 20 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), who are benefiting from the Cassava Transformation Agenda Programme (CTAP). Those 20 SMEs are being strengthened by CAVA II in terms of logistics. So, we are working with farmers and developing markets”, Professor Sanni said.

“CAVA II has been having what we call strategic policy meeting. Last November, we had what we call National Starch Business Meeting, it was very timely because the cassava starch industry in the country is not being supported. Most of the private companies in the sector see CAVA II as their champion to acquit them. We would be inviting the University Management and the Vice-Chancellor to some of these dialogues occasionally”, he said. Professor Sanni equally mentioned some service providers that CAVA II had been working with, saying “we have been working with Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs), FUNAAB’s Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC), as well as the Justice, Peace and Development Mission (JDPM). We also work with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and invite our service providers to tell us what they have been able to do in in 2014 and what they are going to achieve in 2015”.

Meanwhile, the Programme Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Orin Hasson, has charged African countries to scale-up their level of investment in the cassava sector, in order to enhance productivity and commercialisation of the root crop on the continent. Mr. Hasson stated this at the opening ceremony of the Annual Review and Planning Meeting of CAVA II Project, held in Kampala, Uganda. He noted that in order to achieve the main goal of the project, which was to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, there was the need to expand investments in cassava production and create new markets where smallholder farmers could sell their cassava roots.

The Ugandan Minister of Agriculture, represented by the Director of Crop Resources, Mr. Okaasai Opolot, said cassava was an important crop in Africa, particularly in Uganda, where the root crop is among the top five priority crops. He pointed out that cassava was the most cultivated crop after banana, adding that many households in the country depended on cassava production as a means of livelihood. “Cassava is among the top five priority crops in Uganda. In our recent report, CAVA II, Uganda, has contributed to increasing the incomes of smallholder cassava farmers and community processing groups by linking the farmers to large scale companies”, he added. The minister, however, advised that “African countries should provide an enabling environment for the production of the root crop, which is capable of reducing poverty in Africa”.

The Project Director of CAVA II, Professor Adebayo, re-affirmed the project’s commitment to developing sustainable value chains in the cassava sector, so as to ensure that the project’s goal was realised. He disclosed further that CAVA II Project, led by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), was exploring the inclusion of cassava in the production of livestock feed and when the trials were concluded, a new market should stir-up the demand for more cassava in the livestock feed industry. Professor Adebayo also highlighted some of the progress made in the target countries over the last six years, noting that while CAVA II, Uganda, had successfully introduced dried cassava chips, as an adjunct in the beer industry, the project in Nigeria had been very successful in both the flour milling and ethanol industries, as similar landmark achievements were evident in Tanzania, Malawi and Ghana. The Chairman of Africa Innovations Institute (AfrII), Professor William Otim-Nape, said CAVA II, Uganda, under AfrII was prepared to take cassava to greater heights. He called on Ugandans to prepare for cassava transformation in the country, pointing out that the revolution had already started. “I urge Ugandans and well-wishers to join us and be part of the revolution. To governments, we urge you to put in place, the enabling environment and incentive framework, to support rapid cassava transformation in the country. For instance, I do not see the rationale for incurring huge foreign exchange bills on the importation of wheat flour and barley when cassava could as well do the job. We need government’s intervention to absorb risks for those wanting to innovate in using cassava in making industrial products. In addition, tax exemptions for those producing and using High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) in industries is urgent,” he added. The Project Director of C:AVA, led by Professor Andrew Westby of the University of Greenwich, also re-affirmed his commitment to supporting the CAVA II Project.