How Olam Agri is Leveraging CSR for Sustainable National Development

Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness into food, feed and fibre, through the Seeds for The Future Foundation, SFTF, its corporate social sustainability, CSS, vehicle is bent on addressing issues that are impeding national prosperity. Precious Ugwuzor reports that they are  investing in socially responsible projects targeted at driving socioeconomic growth with focus on supporting farmers and farming communities, enabling wider education & skill development for young people, upskilling women, promoting health & nutrition, and reducing carbon emissions in business operations

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions are vital tools for achieving socioeconomic growth. These actions cover investments in environmental sustainability projects, communal well-being, women empowerment projects, local health infrastructure and better nutrition for indigent communities. Where these actions are amply encouraged, the attainment of socioeconomic growth is easy to come by.

Private businesses are increasingly focusing on ramping up investments in socially responsible projects to create shared prosperity in the host markets. These socially responsible companies keep serving as a beacon of hope as the global economy is sporadically being plunged into crises lowering governments’ capacity to meet all the needs of the citizens.

Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness into food, feed and fibre is one of the top businesses investing in socially responsible projects targeted at driving socioeconomic growth across the host market. Through the Seeds for The Future Foundation (SFTF), its corporate social sustainability (CSS) vehicle, the business is addressing issues that are impeding national prosperity. 

The CSS vehicle is focused on supporting farmers and farming communities, enabling wider education & skill development for young people, upskilling women, promoting health & nutrition, and reducing carbon emissions in business operations. A peek into the agribusiness’ CSS projects reveals a remarkable impact.

COVID-19 Response

To cushion the effects of the COVID-19-induced socioeconomic crises and health scare across Nigeria, Olam Agri in Nigeria joined forces with the Federal Government and partners. 

The business stepped up its social investment efforts. It donated cash and food materials to back various response programs targeted at reducing the hardship fostered by the pandemic curtailment policies on the local population, especially during the lockdown periods. It made a cash donation of N600 million to the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID). 

About N300 million worth of foodstuffs were also donated to states across the country. N100 million worth of medical supplies were delivered to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Nigeria Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the Lagos State Government to strengthen medical activities against the further spread of the deadly virus. These socially responsible investment actions helped the country alleviate the ugly effects of the pandemic.

Environmental Sustainability

As part of its environmental sustainability efforts Olam Agri in Nigeria entered a strategic partnership with a leading Nigerian University, Bayero University Kano (BUK) and the Kano State Government to plant trees across the city. It donated 10,000 tree saplings to Bayero University Kano, 4000 saplings to Yusuf Maitama Sule University and 5000 Saplings to Kano State Ministry of enviroment. The tree planting campaign is geared towards offsetting carbon emissions and conserving biodiversity in the Northern state.

Also, to fast-track, the achievement of reduced carbon emissions across business operations, Olam Agri in Nigeria focuses on delivering innovation capable of reducing its carbon footprint and encouraging a cleaner, greener Nigeria within its sphere of influence.

It recently developed and deployed an industry innovation to help bakers reduce operation costs and carbon being released in bakery facilities. The innovation which is called ‘the Gasifier’, is a Palm Kernel oven which utilises palm kernel waste i.e., palm kernel shells to produce heat that powers bakery ovens. This innovative biofuel provides a cleaner, greener environment, and lowers the number of bakers who recourse to diesel-generating sets when operating off-grid.

Further, the business installed solar panelling at its new office in Iganmu, Lagos, to increase the share of renewable energy, promote the corporate goal of de-carbonisation as well as obtain green credits for the edifice. Solar panelling harnesses the power of the sun to generate electricity, provide clean energy and reduce operating costs.

 The solar infrastructure generates an estimated 50 KW and takes care of about 15 per cent of the total energy required to power the office building. By installing the panelling infrastructure at the office to support its energy consumption rate, Olam Agri is significantly reducing the building’s carbon footprint and contributing to a greener environment..

Women & Youth Empowerment Programs

Olam Agri, Nigeria, launched a baking academy early in 2023 to train and deepen women’s participation in the country’s economy. The academy, which is in Kano State, is an empowerment initiative that is meant to equip women with baking skills and enhance their earnings while enabling them to contribute meaningfully to their communities and the national economy. 

The launch of the Baking Academy followed the successful facilitation of baking training for over 250 International Cake Exploration Société (ICES) women in Lagos by the business under the Crown Flour Angels (CFA) initiative.

Also in 2021, the agribusiness provided farming irrigation equipment comprising high-pressure water pumping machines to some female wheat farmers in Giyamusu, Ajingi LGA of Kano state. The irrigation equipment is meant to enhance female smallholder farmers’ productivity levels. 

Meanwhile, the firm is backing its women empowerment drive with investment in young people in tertiary institutions. In late 2022, while launching the Seeds for the Future Foundation, it instituted an educational grant for first-year students in public tertiary institutions. 

Better Nutrition for the Population

Olam Agri Nigeria, through a partnership arrangement with TechnoServe, an international nonprofit, has installed Vitamin Premix facility for food fortification across its plants. The business’ packaged food products such as Mama Gold Flour, Crown Premium Pasta, and Supreme Semolina amongst others, are fortified with micronutrients.

 To support foster health and wellbeing, Olam Agri partners and supports the SOS Children’s Village with fortified packaged foods (besides donation of toiletries) to enrich its wards’ meal experiences. In partnership with the Lagos Food Bank, it conducts outreaches to indigent communities where it delivers some of its packaged foods. The consumption of these fortified foods has positive implications for the health and wellbeing of the segments.

Research Investment in Agriculture Value Chain

Through its Seeds for the Future Foundation investment drive, Olam Agri in Nigeria has consistently weighed in with scaled levels of support for wheat farmers and local agriculture research institutes that are saddled with the responsibility of conducting scientific and environmental research activities that would increase food production levels in the country. 

In 2021, the business launched its flagship N300 million wheat value chain development initiative in Nigeria. The investment is yielding impressive results. The first-year report of the investment drive showed that the initiative achieved its first-year milestone of producing 10 kg of pre-multiplication wheat seed varieties that suit the unique local topography and climate. This achievement raises hope that the host market, given sustained goodwill, can attain wheat production self-sufficiency status sooner than expected. 

In March 2023, the business partnered with the Nanyang Technological University, a leading global research college in Singapore, to craft innovative, sustainable strategies targeted at raising the resilience level of Nigeria’s food value chain. It sponsored the Singapore Business Case Competition (SBCC) X African Challenge 2023. 

The competition featured 34 teams comprising 135 undergraduates from over 11 universities which made presentations on climate-smart strategies to Olam Agri with a focus on how to improve Nigeria’s agriculture sector, tackle climate threats, and address the topographic and systemic challenges impeding the achievement of food security. The winners of the contest won a $1,500 prize in addition to an all-expense paid trip to Nigeria to implement their solutions.

Education

The business renovated a block of classrooms in Biyamusu Primary School in Ajingi Local Government Area of Kano State in 2022. The renovation work has raised the level of academic activities in the community. Pupils who previously sat in open and unkempt classrooms now have a conducive environment to aid their learning experience. The critical intervention effort has helped significantly to boost school enrollment in the area thereby taking some kids off the streets.

Similarly, the Seeds for the Future Foundation Educational Grant Initiative which was rolled out in 2022 is also targeted at raising academic excellence in tertiary institutions.  

Communal Relations

A commendable feat was when Olam Agri successfully brought together the Fulani and Tiv tribes, two tribes previously at loggerheads, when it launched a model school in the farming community of Jira (Zegeyo), Nasarawa State a couple of years ago. The model school, which was in fulfilment of Olam Rice Farm’s corporate social responsibility, led the historically warring tribes to commit to a peaceful co-existence for the first time in a long while, as their children started attending the same school.

Evidence of peace in the community was contained in a letter of appreciation presented to the Olam Rice team from the palace of the Okpatta, the top traditional chief of the village. The letter eulogised the agribusiness’ deep interest in the well-being of its host community and explained how peace had returned to the community through its effort.

Speaking on its CSR focus, Ashish Pande, the Country Head for Olam Agri in Nigeria, said, “Our sense of purpose continues to drive our investment actions. In three decades of operations in Nigeria, Olam Agri has been investing in robust socially responsible projects targeted at enhancing the livelihoods, health, and general wellbeing of the people across our host communities.”

“Our CSR initiatives and investments efforts are being executed with the Federal Government socio-economic development agenda in mind. We are committed to shared prosperity and the attainment of a thriving community, we will not rest on our oars yet,” he added.

About Olam Agri 

Olam Agri is a leading agribusiness, transforming food, feed and fibre with a global origination footprint, processing capabilities and deep understanding of market needs built over 33 years. 

With a strong presence in high-growth emerging markets and products across grains & oilseeds, animal feed & protein, rice, edible oils, specialty grains & seeds, cotton, wood products, rubber and commodity financial services, Olam Agri is at the heart of global food and agri-trade flows with approximately 40 million MT in volume traded annually. 

Focused on transforming food, feed, and fibre for a more sustainable future, it aims at creating value for customers, enable farming communities to prosper sustainably and strive for a food-secure future. 

Quote

The CSS vehicle is focused on supporting farmers and farming communities, enabling wider education & skill development for young people, upskilling women, promoting health & nutrition, and reducing carbon emissions in business operations