BASF, a multi dimensional company with hands on agricultural solutions, nutrition, energy, construction, and chemicals has reaffirmed its commitment to deploy variety of models to boost food security in Nigeria and across Africa.
The company said food security is a priority in its policy framework, as that is critical in supporting government’s effort towards achieving food sufficiency for citizens across the African continent.
Jean Marc Ricca, managing director, BASF West Africa said there is need for someone to trigger cold rooms that will aggregate and preserve food products from the farms, to the market and factories because a lot of the products are wasted, and this undermines the efforts put in by the farmers.
He said there has to be a dedicated effort to support activities in the agricultural value chain so that food security can be a reality.
Marc Ricca said part of the company’s new initiatives is conversion of plastic waste into raw materials and chemicals that would be used in industries.
We believe that plastic waste, which has become a serious challenge in our environment and almost one million tons generated annually provides an opportunity to enhance productive capacity, raw materials, and job opportunity, he said
He further noted “We are here to deploy more models that never existed as part of our value contribution to the economy of Africa because we believe in Africa and we are pursuing these vigorously”, Marc Ricca said.
On the operating environment, he said the biggest challenge facing Nigeria is power, stating that a lot needs to be done to create conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
“Power is the biggest problem; other issues can be addressed over time through constructive engagement with the government, and the relevant authorities”.
Marc Ricca said “I still expect a lot more because we can do so much, and we cannot continue to blame the government, stating that the private and public sector must work together to bring these development to reality”.
Nigeria could be the incubator of global resources, but then minimum infrastructure is critical for all of these to happen, he said.
On the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility drive, Linda Brown, head of communications and Transformation, said BASF CSR is focused on sustainability and so has driven policies that empower young people and women, which does not only enable them acquire skills but also make them economically relevant.
Brown said the Company has quite a number of initiatives that accommodate young graduate trainees, equip them with relevant skills that make them employable in industries within and outside the continent of Africa.
BASF West Africa Limited was established in Lagos, Nigeria in July 2012. In 2015, a construction chemicals production facility was opened in Lagos in order to serve the West African market.
Industry portfolios represented in the African region include chemicals, plastics, dispersions, agricultural products, nutrition, oil and gas. BASF products are used for industrial applications in a variety of sectors including paper, packaging, leather, detergents, cosmetics, construction, mining, agriculture and automotive industries.
Modestus Anaesoronye
