The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC) have signed a landmark ₦1.2 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.
Speaking on the partnership, Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc., Dr Graham Hefer, said, “This partnership with PIND reinforces our commitment to peace, partnership, and the well-being of our host communities through long-term, measurable impact.”
“At Okomu, we believe sustainable business must go hand in hand with shared prosperity,” he added.
The 2026 CSR Programme is expected to address critical development priorities identified through a joint community needs assessment.
It focuses on five key thematic areas, including peacebuilding and conflict prevention, by strengthening community dialogue platforms, training peace monitors, and promoting early warning systems.
The programme will target market systems development through support to 3,000 smallholder farmers, providing them with improved agricultural practices and market linkages.
It is also designed to improve access to finance by encouraging the growth of MSMES through financial literacy and a loan guarantee scheme; to enhance access to renewable energy via the deployment of a pilot solar mini-grid to energise schools and health centres, as well as promote youth employment and skills development. Additionally, it involves establishing a model Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centre to train 60 young people in tailoring and the production of protective coveralls for OOPC’s operations.
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 organisations.
“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, comprising representatives from both PIND and OOPC, to ensure transparency, accountability, and gender inclusion across all interventions.
Through the partnership, PIND and OOPC aim to set a new benchmark for responsible corporate citizenship in Nigeria’s private sector, thereby demonstrating that shared prosperity and social stability can go hand in hand when businesses invest meaningfully in their host communities.
