By Gideon Maxwell
September 19, 2025
Former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, recently convened with the African country heads of Olam Agri in Dubai, UAE, where they held in-depth discussions around managing risk, building resilience, and strengthening stakeholder relationships across the continent.
The meeting brought together top executives including Neelamani Muthukumar, Group COO of Olam Agri; Partheeban Theodore, President and Regional Head for Africa; and Chandrasekaran Balaji, CFO for Olam Agri Africa.
Osinbajo described the gathering as an important platform for aligning on the challenges and opportunities within African agribusiness, especially in turbulent global markets. He commended the leadership for their willingness to engage candidly on matters of operational risk, strategic resilience, and local partnership.
He extended special gratitude to Anil Nair, Managing Director of Olam Nigeria, for coordinating logistics and ensuring his participation in the summit.
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The summit is part of Olam Agri’s broader efforts to synchronize its continental operations, adapt to volatile external pressures (such as climate change, supply chain disruptions, and currency fluctuations), and reinforce trust with farmers, host governments, and investors.
For Nigeria specifically, the meeting underscores the growing nexus between public service, agricultural transformation and private sector engagement. Olam Agri, through its Nigerian arm under Anil Nair, has been scaling local investments, such as its wheat milling and flour operations, and charting a 10-year roadmap for drought-resistant seed development to strengthen food security.
As Africa seeks to unlock its agricultural potential and build resilient food systems, such high-level collaborations between political actors and agribusiness leaders are increasingly viewed as critical to bridging gaps, managing systemic risk, and forging sustainable pathways forward.
