Technological Challenges Confronting Cassava Root Processing in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the Way Forward

Cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) remains one of the most important food security crops in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). There is therefore a need for efficient, affordable, and adoptable cassava processing technologies for effective, quality, and safe processing of the cassava root in SSA. This review highlights the existing cassava root processing technologies and technological challenges that confront peeling, size reduction, fermentation, dewatering, roasting, drying, milling, and sifting in SSA. Much consideration is given to root peeling, mash dewatering, and drying processes, which require key improvements to ensure food quality, safety, scalability, sustainability, and food security. Manual cassava root peeling is dominant in SSA but time‐consuming, tedious, and unproductive. Mash dewatering technologies exist at both small‐ and large‐scale levels but are extremely slow and labor‐intensive. Mechanical drying has gained much adoption by medium‐ and large‐scale cassava processors, but the initial investment and operational costs are very high. Efficient and affordable mechanical cassava root peeling is key to facilitating productive cassava processing in SSA. Efficient, affordable, easy‐to‐maintain, automated, and integrated dewatering technologies are required for small‐ and large‐scale root processing, respectively, to reduce mash dewatering time for product quality enhancement. There is a need to improve the efficiency and scale down cassava root drying technologies to meet the capacity of small‐ and large‐scale cassava businesses. Existing technologies for cassava root size reduction, fermentation, roasting, milling, and sifting are practically adequate for cassava processing but need upgrading for excellent outputs, scalability, and sustainability.