LAGOS — As Nigeria intensifies its quest for food sovereignty, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) has officially opened applications for the fifth season of its prestigious FMN Prize for Innovation. This year, the spotlight falls squarely on Cassava, a crop that serves as a dietary anchor for millions but remains hampered by traditional processing bottlenecks and high post-harvest losses.
The 2026 edition is designed to unearth scalable, “made-in-Nigeria” engineering and agricultural solutions that can transform cassava from a subsistence staple into a high-efficiency industrial powerhouse.
A Two-Tiered Search for Talent
The competition is strategically split into two categories to capture both academic research and market-ready business models:
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SME Category: Targeted at registered Nigerian businesses in the agro-allied space. The focus here is on commercial viability—solutions that are ready to be deployed across farms and processing plants today.
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Student Category: Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students. This category encourages “Blue Sky” thinking, experimental research, and disruptive tech that could redefine how cassava is grown or utilized in the next decade.
Why Cassava? The 2026 Strategic Focus
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, yet the sector faces a “yield gap” and significant waste due to the crop’s rapid deterioration after harvest. FMN is seeking innovations in four key areas:
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Cultivation Tech: Methods to increase yield per hectare using sustainable, low-input techniques.
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Processing Efficiency: Engineering solutions to reduce the time and water required to convert tubers into flour, starch, or ethanol.
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Value Addition: Creative ways to utilize cassava by-products (like peels) for animal feed or bio-energy.
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Supply Chain Logistics: Digital or physical tools to reduce post-harvest losses between the farm gate and the factory.
The Road to Implementation
Unlike many theoretical awards, the FMN Prize acts as a catalyst for real-world growth. Winners do not just receive a cash prize; they gain access to:
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FMN’s Ecosystem: Potential integration into the supply chain of one of Africa’s largest food companies.
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Mentorship: Guidance from industry veterans on scaling production and meeting international quality standards.
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Visibility: A platform to showcase ideas to venture capitalists and development finance institutions.
“We aren’t just looking for ideas; we are looking for the future of Nigerian food security,” an FMN spokesperson noted during the launch. “By focusing on cassava, we are focusing on the very foundation of our agricultural economy.”
How to Enter
Eligible SMEs and students are required to submit concept notes and prototypes through the official FMN portal. Applications are judged on originality, scalability, and measurable impact on the Nigerian food value chain.
