Olam Agri—the global agribusiness trader controlled by Saudi Agricultural & Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC)—announced a $400 million capital allocation strategy through 2028 to expand its food and animal feed processing infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The planned outlay builds upon $115 million deployed in West African processing assets since 2024, raising total regional downstream commitments to $515 million.
As part of this expansion, Olam Agri said it broke ground on a $70 million integrated feed mill in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria, designed to produce 1,500 tonnes per day of poultry feed and 300 tonnes per day of aqua feed alongside 125,000 tonnes of grain storage.
“Populations are growing, incomes are rising and diets are changing,” Saurabh Mehra, Olam Agri’s head of food and feed processing, said in the statement.
“Demand for food, feed and protein will keep climbing. Processing more of it locally is how that demand can be met more affordably.”
The capital deployment is tailored to capture changing dietary preferences caused by rapid urbanization and demographic expansion, which are driving consumption toward convenience staples (milled wheat, pasta, noodles) and high-protein foods (poultry, cultured fish, livestock).
The $400 million investment expands Olam Agri’s reach into Ivory Coast for the first time, strengthens its existing position in Cameroon, scales up pasta lines in Ghana, and establishes exploratory channels into Southern African markets, including Angola.
By shifting focus from raw grain importation to domestic processing, Olam Agri mitigates foreign exchange volatility risks and reduces import costs.
Sourcing domestic inputs for its new mills is expected to generate demand for over 500,000 tonnes of locally grown corn and soybeans annually from more than 130,000 smallholder farmers.
“We believe in Africa’s long-term growth,” Mehra said. The investment “will expand local processing capacity, support government priorities on value addition, and help strengthen food security.”
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