Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness in food, feed, and fibre, has awarded grants to the first batch of qualified tertiary institution student beneficiaries of the Seeds for the Future Education Grant.
A statement by the firm said grants aimed to support the academic pursuit of the beneficiaries to fast-track learning and attainment of excellence among students in tertiary institutions targeting a long-term impact on the national productivity level.
It read, “The support framework is awarded to the best-qualified applicants using a merit-based selection process that strictly adheres to the rules of fairness, transparency, fair play, and independent audit, from the application, shortlisting, all through to the finalists’ selection stages. It is open to all the courses of study offered in Nigeria’s Federal and State-owned tertiary institutions.”
According to the statement, the first beneficiaries of the grants are 15 students from various departments of the University of Lagos. The list of beneficiaries includes Uvere Franca and Ihejiamatu Anthony of the Department of Chemical Engineering; Oyibo Ufedo-Ojo and Olaloko Olamide of the Department of Civil Engineering; Bamigbose Joseph and Adeniran Ridwanullah of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Akinyade Simisola and Ugoegbulem David of the Department of Education Foundation amongst others.
Commenting on the educational grants presentation, the Country Head of Olam Agri in Nigeria, Ashish Pande, said, “The educational grants are a key part of the Seeds for the Future Initiative’s target of enabling wider education and skills development for young people amongst others. Launched in 2022, the initiative serves as our social sustainability investment vehicle with five levers, namely, supporting farms and farmers, enabling wider education and skill development for young people, empowering impoverished women, promoting health and nutrition across the country, and reducing carbon emissions in our business operations,” he added.
The Vice President of Commercial, Olam Agri, Bolaji Anifowoshe, admonished the students to make the best use of the grants.
He said, “Olam Agri is excited to be a part of your success journey. What you do with the grants will have a direct impact on your lives. Keep ensuring you do whatever you need to do to be the best irrespective of the resources available to you always.”
A student, Uvere Franca said, “I have heard about people receiving academic support. This is my first time receiving an educational grant. I am happy for this. The grant will help me purchase the resources and tools that will aid my learning as well as support my tuition. I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to Olam Agri.”