Ampelocissus africana (wild cassava tuber) is a starch-rich tropical plant that has been used as a source of diet by humans for several years, particularly in some parts of Africa during times of famine. The stalk and foliage are used to treat many ailments. This research aims to extract and modify starch from wild cassava tuber for drug delivery applications. The starch was extracted and modified by acetylation reaction. The physicochemical properties of the resultant starch was evaluated following standard procedures. The isolated starch was odourless and tasteless, with a faint ash-off-white colour. The iodine test indicated a starch content of 10.12%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that the starch was globular and oval. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) result showed that the modified starch exhibited a decrease in thermal stability. The range of acetyl content and degree of substitution (DS) achieved in this study were 0.39% to 6.47% and 0.02 to 0.26, respectively. The swelling power of the modified starch tended to increase with an increase in DS. The Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectra indicated the presence of four significant absorption peaks: OH, C-H, C-O, and C═O, which signified the presence of the acetyl group in the starch. The findings revealed that the modified wild cassava tubers starch could be a potential excipient for enhanced drug delivery applications.