Firms sign N1.2bn sustainiability pact
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC) have signed a landmark N1.2 billion partnership agreement to drive peacebuilding, livelihood improvement, and inclusive development across OOPC’s host communities in Edo State. Anchored on a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024 and strengthened by a […]
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC) have signed a landmark N1.2 billion partnership agreement to drive peacebuilding, livelihood improvement, and inclusive development across OOPC’s host communities in Edo State.
Anchored on a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024 and strengthened by a new Project-Specific Agreement for 2026, the partnership represents a bold commitment to sustainable corporate responsibility, shared prosperity, and lasting peace in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.
“At Okomu, we believe sustainable business must go hand in hand with shared prosperity,” said Dr. Graham Hefer, Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, adding that “This partnership with PIND reinforces our commitment to peace, partnership, and the well-being of our host communities through long-term, measurable impact.”
The 2026 CSR Program will address critical development priorities identified through a joint community needs assessment, focusing on five key thematic areas — peacebuilding and conflict prevention, by strengthening community dialogue platforms, training peace monitors, and promoting early warning systems; market systems development, through support to 3,000 smallholder farmers with improved agricultural practices and market linkages; access to finance.
According to Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, Executive Director of PIND Foundation, the partnership demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration between the private sector and development organizations.
“This partnership embodies what we call ‘development through shared value’. Together with Okomu, we are not only delivering social investment but building local capacity, peace, and self-reliance — the real foundations of resilience,” said Daibo.
A Joint Steering Committee will jointly govern the initiative made up of representatives from both PIND and OOPC to ensure transparency, accountability, and gender inclusion across all interventions.
Through this partnership, PIND and OOPC aim to set a new benchmark for responsible corporate citizenship in Nigeria’s private sector — demonstrating that shared prosperity and social stability can go hand in hand when businesses invest meaningfully in their host communities.