Image Credit: Olam Agri
Growing demand for poultry, fish and processed food products across Africa is prompting agribusiness giant Olam Agri to commit approximately $400 million to expanding food and feed processing capacity by 2028. The investment is expected to strengthen regional agricultural value chains, increase local processing and create new market opportunities for smallholder farmers supplying essential raw materials.
The Singapore-founded agribusiness plans to establish additional animal feed manufacturing facilities in Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, while expanding grain processing, wheat milling and food production in selected African markets. The programme builds on approximately $115 million already invested in West African processing operations since 2024.
The expansion comes as Africa experiences population growth, urbanisation and changing dietary preferences, with increasing numbers of consumers seeking affordable protein sources such as chicken and fish. These developments are creating fresh opportunities for commercial poultry production and raising the importance of reliable feed supplies.
In Nigeria, Olam Agri intends to establish its third animal feed plant to increase production of poultry and aquaculture feeds. The company also plans to expand semolina production and strengthen distribution through the addition of 850 trucks.
Cameroon is expected to benefit from a planned poultry feed facility with an annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes, targeted to begin operations in early 2028. The project could provide poultry farmers with greater access to locally manufactured feed as the country’s livestock and poultry sectors continue developing.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Olam Agri plans to enter the food and feed processing market through investments covering wheat milling, animal feed production and poultry breeding. Meanwhile, Ghana will receive additional investment to expand pasta manufacturing capacity, while the company is exploring possible opportunities in southern African markets, including Angola.
A major component of the expansion is its anticipated impact on local crop producers. Once the new feed mills reach full capacity, Olam Agri expects to purchase more than 500,000 tonnes of corn and soybeans annually from over 130,000 smallholder farmers.
The projected demand could strengthen markets for grain and oilseed producers while encouraging farmers to increase production and improve supply reliability. However, achieving these benefits will depend on consistent crop availability, competitive pricing and effective links between farmers, aggregators and processing companies.
Olam Agri’s investment also reflects a broader shift towards developing Africa’s domestic processing capabilities instead of depending heavily on imported finished food products. Expanding local manufacturing could help improve supply chains, support agricultural value addition and create opportunities across farming, transportation and distribution.
The planned expansion signals growing investor confidence in Africa’s poultry and food industries, with feed production emerging as a critical driver of agricultural growth. If successfully implemented, the projects could strengthen local sourcing, support smallholder livelihoods and help meet the continent’s increasing demand for affordable food and animal protein.
