Olam Agri, AGRA sign MoU to advance sustainable agriculture in Nigeria and Ghana

NIGERIA/GHANA – Olam Agri, a prominent global agribusiness specializing in food, feed, and fiber, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AGRA, Africa’s foremost partnership-driven institution for agricultural transformation.

The agreement aims to enhance sustainable food and feed value chains in Nigeria and Ghana, with potential for broader expansion across the continent. This collaboration emerged as a key outcome from the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025, recently held in Senegal.

The partnership seeks to integrate Olam Agri’s extensive market presence and direct involvement with smallholder farmers and consumers with AGRA’s specialised knowledge in developing inclusive, market-oriented agrifood systems. These efforts are designed to bolster food security, resilience, and livelihoods for smallholder farmers throughout Africa.

Under the terms of the MoU, the organizations will focus on several strategic initiatives:

• Scaling programs for smallholder farmers in soy, wheat, maize, and rice value chains in Nigeria.
• Expanding support for poultry and aquaculture farmers, while advancing baker initiatives in both Nigeria and Ghana to elevate food safety standards, nutritional outcomes, and overall profitability.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Saurabh Mehra, Managing Director and Global Head of Food and Feed Processing and Value-Added Segment at Olam Agri, highlighted that through the partnership, Olam Agri will scale its sustainability projects with farmers and bakers in Nigeria and Ghana.

“As a leader in the food and feed value chain, we see this collaboration as strengthening our engagement and support for farmers and bakers to empower more local talent, strengthen food systems, and advance food security,” he said.

Ms. Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA, added that by combining AGRA’s catalytic capabilities and commitment to inclusive market systems with Olam Agri’s market access and technology, this partnership empowers African smallholder farmers and communities to thrive, ensuring fair opportunities, better livelihoods, dignified jobs for youth, and a stronger, more resilient food system.

On his part, Dr Shailendra Mishra, Global Head of Sustainability for Food and Feed at Olam Agri, acknowledged the partnership as a milestone in demonstrating impact across the full food and feed value chain.

“Together with AGRA, we will scale regenerative farming, enhance soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience, while improving farmer livelihoods and consumer nutrition. By joining forces, we can work towards a stronger, more resilient, and inclusive food system for Africa,” he said.

The collaboration emphasizes the promotion of inclusive and climate-smart agricultural practices. It seeks to empower women and youth by creating new opportunities, improving market access, and reinforcing sustainability measures.

Additionally, smallholder farmers and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from targeted training, technological advancements, and financial linkages, which are intended to increase productivity, income levels, and resistance to market volatility.

This new agreement builds on a foundation of successful joint efforts between Olam Agri and AGRA, which began in 2021 within the rice value chain. That initiative has already assisted over 5,000 smallholder farmers in Nigeria’s Niger State.

Since 2023, AGRA has been advancing its “New AGRA Strategy 3.0,” which prioritizes the transformation of African food systems through developments in seed systems, the fortification of inclusive markets and trade, and enhanced engagement with governments.

AGRA will apply its inclusive market systems methodology, collaborating with local partners and aligning with national strategies to foster resilient agricultural and food frameworks.

Olam Agri, in turn, will contribute its expertise in market access, technical capabilities, and digital tools. These resources will facilitate the collection of sustainability data at the ground level, improve supply chain transparency, and optimize management for suppliers and customers, thereby advancing productivity, traceability, and sustainability throughout the value chain.

The two entities have already convened discussions and established working groups to pinpoint implementation priorities across the targeted value chains.

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