Olam celebrates 30 years of impact in Nigeria
On Wednesday December 11, 2019, management and staff members of Olam Nigeria Limited hosted the general public, especially stakeholders in the Agric business and value chain to an elaborate outing at its 30th anniversary celebration and end-of-year party.
The colourful event, which held at Eko Club, Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, offered excitements for the guests who were enthralled by the success story of Olam, while the staff members used the opportunity to cool off work stress, unwind and wrap up the year in a unique style.
From melodious renditions by a live band to rib-cracking jokes by Okey Bakasi, an ace comedian, the celebration was remarkable.
Pointing out the reason for the celebration in his opening remarks, Ernest Esada, general manager, Employee Relations, Olam Nigeria Limited, traced the days of little beginning of the company and commended the pioneer staff members, and the company’s leadership that steered it to success despite challenges.
For him, Nigeria was the launch pad for Olam’s global business endeavours in 1989 and since then the company has never looked back, rather it keeps featuring prominently in the Nigerian economy with visible impacts ranging from creating employment, stimulating the agric value chain and boosting the gross domestic product (GDP).
Looking forward to another 30 years, Esada called for inclusiveness and team spirit in order to sustain the focus on the vision of the company. He assured that Olam is making efforts at keeping with the pace of development in its areas of operation, as well as, technology.
In his address at the celebration, Mukul Mathur, country head, Nigeria, explained that running a successful business in Nigeria for three decades is never an easy task, but that Olam succeeded because it keeps reinventing itself, changing in line with the business environment and government policies.
Capturing the success of the company in Nigeria over the years, he said that Olam has been “Growing Responsibly” while bearing in mind the environment, especially with climate change that is now obvious.
Offering details of the growth since three decades, Mathur said Olam, which started in 1989 with an initial focus on the procurement of primary commodities like cashews, cocoa and shea nut, has today refined its operations, expanding it business streams to include; exports, imports, and branded packaged food products.
“Considering that we started in Nigeria 30 years ago with less than 100 staff and today, we have over 3,000 staff members spread across 82 locations in the country, Olam Nigeria Limited has done well and is looking forward to wining more grounds”, he said.
Excited by the employment opportunities created by Olam and that is still growing everyday, the country head Nigeria, explained that the staff members help the company to manage its value chain activities of sourcing, processing, marketing and distribution.
Aside the smooth employer/staff relationship, Mathur said Olam has maintained cordial relationships with host communities, lifting their livelihood and impacting local economies.
Enumerating the feats of the company since the 30 years of operation in Nigeria, Mathur said that Olam has pioneered domestic sesame hulling and exports through its state-of-the-art Olam Sesame Plant in Sagamu, Ogun State, processing facilities in Lagos State, integrated animal feed mill, poultry breeding farms and hatchery in Gwagwada Kaduna State, rice farm and Olam Rice Mill, both in Nasaeawa, as well as, subsidiary companies.
The country head Nigeria, assured that Olam, which was born in Nigeria, believes in Nigeria and is Nigeria to stay and impact.
The celebration witnessed a lucky dip where guests won fantastic prizes amid cultural dance performance by a cultural group from Akwa Ibom State.