Olam Agri Invests $2M in Pan-African Baking Initiative

Olam Agri has launched 'Baking Brighter Futures,' a pan-African initiative to develop baking skills, promote entrepreneurship and improve livelihoods. The company is committing $2 million through 2030 to train over 20,000 bakers, bakery owners, and aspiring food entrepreneurs via baking academies and partnerships with vocational institutions.

The initiative brings together Olam Agri's baker development programs across its markets to create greater impact for bakers and their communities. Since 2019, more than 10,000 bakers across Africa have benefited from the company's baking programs, around half of them women.

Ashish Pande, global commercial head of wheat milling at Olam Agri, said, 'Demand for wheat-based foods continues to grow across Africa, creating opportunities for bakers and food entrepreneurs across the value chain.' Through this initiative, Olam Agri wants to help bakers strengthen their technical capabilities, improve product quality and food safety standards, and enable businesses to thrive and grow alongside the markets they serve.