Olam Food Ingredients Ghana Limited (ofi), one of the leading ingredients companies in the country, an exporter of cashews and a Licence Buying Company (LBC), continues to promote a sustainable agricultural sector guided by its purpose to “Be the change for good food and a healthy future.” The company is working towards its 2030 sustainability ambitions by empowering farmers, strengthening communities, and enhancing value across its supply chains.
Across cocoa and cashew communities, ofi has invested in school construction and renovation to help children learn in a safe and supportive environment. The initiative spans from Nkawkaw, Assin Fosu, Kaase to Azizanya, where new classroom blocks and refurbished schools including Akawani Basic School, Kedawoso Kindergarten Block, Aboe School, Asona, Krobom Basic School, Kaase MA School, and Azizanya District Assembly Primary School are helping children access education for brighter futures.
Beyond infrastructure, the company nurtures young minds through reading clubs, Girls in Science programmes, adolescent mentorship, environmental clubs, and educational support for ten paramouncies. ofi continues to work closely with district educational directorates to strengthen learning outcomes and give children the confidence to build brighter futures.
The ofi Healthy Living Campaign brings essential care directly to farmers and their families. Screenings for HIV, hepatitis, malaria, and other conditions, along with regular deworming for schoolchildren, help communities detect illnesses early and stay healthy. The company has also supported the construction and renovation of health facilities in Assin Fosu, Kwaboadi in the Oda district, and Mesidan, whilst promoting community awareness through breast cancer campaigns, breastfeeding awareness, and the celebration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
ofi offers training to farmers under three key pillars: Good Agricultural Practices, Good Social Practices, and Good Environmental Practices. Under Good Agricultural Practices, farmers receive modern, climate smart farming skills and tools to improve yields and strengthen resilience. Good Social Practices focuses on preventing child labour, promoting human rights, raising awareness of sexual harassment, and establishing grievance mechanisms to foster peaceful, safe communities.
Good Environmental Practices equips farmers with skills to adopt environmentally friendly farming methods that protect forest landscapes and promote long term sustainability. The company also promotes livelihood diversification through training in cashew apple processing, soap making, baking, grasscutter rearing, petty trading, cassava processing, and access to youth teams that provide farm services.
ofi works hand in hand with communities to build strong governance systems by supporting leadership structures, community action plans, and their incorporation into district assembly development frameworks. The company also assists with infrastructure projects, bylaw creation, and leadership training in advocacy, all aimed at ensuring sustainable, locally driven development.
This year, the company partnered with GIZ to officially launch the ‘Cashew Apple as a Recipe for Women and Youth Empowerment’ Matching Grant Fund project in Techiman. The project aims to train 1,000 women and youth in the processing and value addition of cashew apples for domestic use and commercial sale. The project focuses on equipping farmers with essential business and marketing skills to foster sustainable job creation and enhance their capacity for harvest and post harvest handling of cashew apples, improving quality, reducing losses, and increasing returns.
At Opokukrom in the Dunkwa community, ofi has established a biochar project where, using the cone pit method, farmers are trained in using biochar, a stable, carbon rich material made by heating organic waste such as cocoa pods in a low oxygen environment for soil productivity. The company has set up trial plots where biochar has been applied on controlled plots to assess its effectiveness in cocoa cultivation.
Speaking on the company’s sustainability vision, Kennedy Ntoso, Head of Sustainability for ofi’s operations in Ghana, said: “We want every farmer, family, and community within our supply chain to thrive. Through education, health, capacity building, and community development, we are creating long term value that drives positive change and strengthens Ghana’s cocoa and cashew sectors.”
ofi’s continued interest in promoting sustainable agriculture positions the company as a preferred partner, supporting thousands of farmers whilst contributing to a healthier, more resilient future for Ghana.
ofi (olam food ingredients) is a new operating group born out of Olam International. ofi offers sustainable, natural, value added food products and ingredients so that consumers can enjoy the healthy and indulgent products they love. It consists of industry leading businesses of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices. ofi has built a unique global value chain presence including its own farming operations, farm gate origination, and manufacturing facilities.
Olam is a leading food and agri business supplying food, ingredients, feed and fibre to 17,300 customers worldwide. Its value chain spans over 60 countries and includes farming, processing and distribution operations, as well as a sourcing network of an estimated 5 million farmers. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, Olam currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalisation on the Singapore Exchange. Since June 2020, Olam has been included in the Financial Times Stock Exchange For Good Index Series, a global sustainable investment index series developed by Financial Times Stock Exchange Russell, following a rigorous assessment of Olam’s supply chain activities, impact on the environment and governance transparency.
