The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, yesterday, held an Advocacy Workshop for Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Cassava Bio- Ethanol Value Chain Development Project in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

The one-day workshop was aimed at discussing the modalities for the seamless implementation of the project in the country.
The workshop was also meant to sensitize line MDAs, who were responsible for the creation of the right regulations and enabling laws that would promote new products, processes, services and market access for the sustainability of the project.
Declaring the workshop open, the Director of Economic Growth, in the Ministry, Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba, said that the Project was a federal government Economic initiative and one of the Ministerial deliverables for the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, being the coordinating Ministry for development partners, cross sectoral inter- Ministerial programmes and activities to accelerate  and sustain economic growth for societal well being.
Therefore, in her words, she stated ” This workshop is to provide an opportunity to move from dialogue to action and pave the way for the project to thrive and resuscitate the economy.
“We as a country must work together to develop an entire value Chain in the agricultural sector, such that we can turn our cotton to textiles and garments, our tomatoes into puree, our milk into cheese and Cassava into starch, tapioca, fructose, sorbitol,  ethanol and more.
Also speaking, the representative of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Dr. Sab Ebiriekwe, harped on the need for the ministry to do more on deepening  the synergy between the relevant  MDAs by organizing more meetings/ Seminars to allow experts share knowledge for the good of the project.
Paper presentations delved on the following topics: Overview of the Nigerian Bio- economy and Triple-Helix Partnership Approach;   Guiding Principles for implementing Cassava Bio-ethanol Value Chain Development; Conceptual Design Framework for organic Cassava Bio-ethanol project; Regulations and laws that might hinder the implementation of the Cassava Bio-ethanol Value Chain Development Project, among others.
The key presenter at the workshop was the President of Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities (ADAN) Prof.Olumuyiwa James Jayeoba with over sixty participants.
Julie Osagie-Jacobs
Director Information
FMBEP