Arla Foods and the Nigerian government have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding, under which both will continue their efforts to further develop the Nigerian dairy sector.
Both parties first entered a formal partnership in 2016. In the new memorandum, the parties have committed to developing the local dairy sector by promoting cooperative business structures among nomadic herders, Arla said in a statement.
This will include offering training and knowledge-sharing opportunities, continuing product development and creating employment.
Five Year Agreement
The signing took place at the Arla Innovation Centre in Aarhus, where a delegation from The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development led by Dr Ernest A. Umakhihe, along with representatives from Arla Foods, signed a new five-year agreement, building on the foundation from the previous years.
As well as working with the Nigerian government, Arla Foods is also involved in several other dairy development projects in the country.
Amongst these are training sessions for local farmers in order to maximise the output and quality of their milk pool under the 'Milky Way' partnership and the imminent opening of a Arla-driven farm in Kaduna State.
'Fruitful partnership'
“The Nigerian dairy sector has great potential and the combination of an entrepreneurial Nigeri-an mindset, a growing economy and our dairy farming expertise makes this a fruitful partnership for everyone involved," commented Peder Pedersen, senior director and head of Arla Nigeria.
"Being able to support the current demand with our products while at the same time contributing to the development of the local sector in a sustainable way is both practical and meaningful. I am very happy that we have signed a new agreement.”
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
