LAGOS, NIGERIA — Olam Agri’s Seeds for the Future initiative received the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award at the African Food Awards 2023, on June 16 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Africa Food Awards recognizes and celebrates the best companies and individuals in Africa’s rising food manufacturing, retail, academia, and food service sector.

The Seeds for the Future initiative was launched in 2021 as Olam Agri’s wheat value-chain social sustainability investment vehicle. Its key drivers are supporting farmers and farming communities; enabling broader education and skill development for young people; empowering women; promoting health and nutrition; and reducing carbon emissions in business operations.  

In 2022, the initiative announced an impressive first-year result of its multi-year research, seed trial and multiplication effort. It generated optimism that Nigeria is making strides toward increasing local wheat production levels. Now a full-fledged foundation, the initiative is extending its impact to other segments.

“After evaluation by our judging committee, Olam Agri’s sustainability investment through the Seeds for the Future Foundation met all criteria of reach, depth, and impact, and towers above the competition in the sustainability investment category and deserves to receive one of the Sustainability Initiative Award for the year 2023,” said Francis Juma, founder and chief executive officer of FW Africa, the organizer of the awards.

He congratulated the business for its exceptional leadership and focused investment, which aim to drive impactful economic growth across operating markets.

“We will keep scaling up investment in projects that positively impact farming communities, consumer health, the environment, and government’s economic growth agenda,” said Ashish Pande, the country head of Olam Agri in Nigeria. “The Seed for the Future Foundation is a major vehicle for driving our wider investment actions. The Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award recognition underscores our impact level.”

Winners in the same category at the awards include Bio Food Products, Ngorongo Tea, Farmers Choice, EARBL, the Marindi Healthy Woman, and Broadway Bakery.

Headquartered in Singapore, Olam Agri is a global food and agribusiness, supplying food ingredients, feed and fiber to customers worldwide. It has market positions across grains and oilseeds, animal feed and proteins, edible oils, rice, specialty grains and seed, cotton, wood products, rubber and commodity financial services.