TGI, NFF kick-off Multi-Million Naira Sponsorship Agreement for the Super Eagles

UYO (October 6, 2017) Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, an international investment and holding company with diversified interests and investments in Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, Morocco, UAE, South Africa, India and several other emerging markets has announced a landmark agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to support the senior National Football teams, in their quest to win laurels for Nigeria.

At a joint press briefing which took place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, the NFF unveiled the TGI Group as the ‘official food sponsor of the Super Eagles’ for the next three years.

“We are enormously ecstatic to come on board as supporters of the Nigerian national football teams,” said Mr. Rahul Savara, the Group Managing Director of TGI, the parent company of WACOT Limited, Chi Limited and other companies, “the sponsorship is a further demonstration of the commitment of our business to the development of Nigeria in all facets”.

Mr. Ujwal Senapati, the Managing director of WACOT also stated that “We strongly believe in our investments in the agricultural value chain and its impact on the socioeconomic development of Nigeria, and this new partnership we are starting with the Nigerian Football Federation will allow us to expand our footprint to the development of football in the country. We are resolutely committed to increasing our investments in the Nigerian economy, increasing employment and local content, while supporting the communities we operate in”.

Continuing, Mr. Onubogu, the Group Executive Director said, “TGI Group has over three decades of experience in building local and regional sustainable businesses in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), agriculture, agro-allied, healthcare, chemicals, etc.

He also disclosed that because of the agreement between the organization and NFF, TGI Group will be rewarding the best Nigerian player with the ‘Man of the Match’ award on the days of all qualifying matches.

It would be recalled that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently commissioned the integrated WACOT Rice Mill in Argungu, Kebbi State. The Vice President also commissioned the Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited (ESFCCL), managed by WACOT Limited.

While emphasizing the unifying role of soccer in Nigeria, TGI GMD – Mr. Savara, stated that the goal of the conglomerate is to ensure that the Super Eagles does not only qualify for the 2018 World Cup but that the team puts up an exceptional and impressive performance at the competition in Russia.

Speaking on behalf of the NFF, the president of the federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick, commended the TGI Group for their timely support for the Senior National Male Football team while also appealing to other corporate organization’s to emulate the gesture.

He further disclosed that with the sponsorship by TGI, the Board and Management of NFF are better convinced that the goal of participating and excelling in the 2018 World Cup by the Super Eagles will be a reality.

His words, “The coming on board of the TGI Group is going to be a tremendously exciting development for the team. The opportunity to have the support of TGI Group and the reward for the ‘Man of the Match’ will have a huge benefit, putting the team in the best place possible to achieve our goals. We also talk a lot about creating memories and no doubt working with TGI Group will create some fantastic memories.”

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WACOT AT 20

T.E.A.M. – Together Everyone Achieves More

As part of the celebrations of WACOT at 20, the annual team meet of members of staff of WACOT from across all stations in Nigeria held between September 13 and 15.

The first two days featured several activities, presentation on the company’s performance, projections for the future, and panel discussions on issues bordering around operations, and the agricultural business landscape in general.

The theme for the event: Together We Can – Doubling the N100bn revenue in 3 years, was also extensively discussed, identifying the role of each person in contributing to achieving this feat.

The core values of WACOT which embodies all the attributes desired in each member of the team was also unveiled and adopted.

The Management of TGI Group and WACOT also cut the WACOT at 20 Cake.

There was also a gala night and awards ceremony which featured many local entertainment groups.

 

Awards were presented to staff for outstanding performance in various categories.

A group photo was also taken, and there were team building activities the next day.

Our GMD’s speech at the recently commissioned fertilizer plant at Auchi

Protocols

We are pleased to welcome you today to the commissioning of the rehabilitated Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited (ESFCCL), Auchi, Edo State.

The Fertilizer plant which was established over 14 years ago was abandoned and nearing full dilapidation, as previous Federal Government Policies favored the importation of Fertilizer. However, the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari launched in 2016 has made local fertilizer production viable and sustainable. The new Fertilizer Policy simply encouraged investors like us to identify and rehabilitate abandoned national treasures such as this plant.

Of course, it is the vision of His Excellency, the Governor of Edo State and the investor and Agribusiness-friendly policies of the Edo State Government that made this partnership with Edo State the success that it is today.

The abandoned Fertilizer plant as we knew it is gone. What we have now is an upgraded, state-of-the-art facility. This first phase has the capacity to blend over 60,000 metric tonnes of NPK fertilizer and is configured to handle both physical and compound fertilizer blending – one of the few with such capabilities in Nigeria.

As the Factory operations gather momentum, we will be creating about 500 direct and indirect jobs, 95% of which will be for Edo State indigenes.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, WACOT Group is strongly committed to the administration’s vision of attaining food self-sufficiency and economic prosperity through agriculture. And we have backed this commitment with action through continuous significant investments and interventions targeted at various agricultural value chains.

Your Excellency, Mr Vice President, less than a month ago, you honored us in Argungu by commissioning our rice mill. Today, you have obliged us in Auchi celebrating our partnership with Edo State.

As I speak to you now, we are setting up a sesame cleaning plant in Maigatari, Jigawa State, the largest soya oil mill in West Africa in Sagamu, Ogun State and the largest Sesame De-hulling Plant in West Africa in Ogba, Lagos State.

Your Excellencies and distinguished guests, our businesses focus on working closely with and supporting Nigerian Farmers, and most of our Factories are located in rural Nigeria. We are fully aligned with the administration agenda of economic diversification through inclusive growth.

On a final note, we would like to say a big thank you to Your Excellency, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for honoring us once again.

We say a big thank you to the Governor of Edo State, our governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his government for making this partnership between Edo State and WACOT come to fruition for the benefit of all stakeholders. Your Excellencies, this Partnership with Edo State is just the beginning of WACOT’s investment plans for Edo  as we examine Billions of Naira worth of investments in Edo in the Food and Agribusiness sectors.

We also thank the Otaru of Auchi, the CEO of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, the President of FEPSAN, our financial partners and other dignitaries, who have supported us all through this journey.

Thank you very much.

CHI Farms’ Inter-departmental Football Tournament

Vice President Osibanjo to Commission Edo Fertilizer Plant managed by WACOT

The Edo State Government and WACOT Limited will receive the Vice President of Nigeria – Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, to commission the Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited (ESFCCL) located in Auchi, Edo State.

The Edo Fertilizer plant was rehabilitated by WACOT Limited in collaboration with the Edo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The Vice President will be commissioning the NPK fertilizer plant to reiterate the Federal Government’s actualization of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI).

Launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, the initiative is part of the administration’s drive towards achieving food self-sufficiency and economic diversification through agriculture, to which WACOT Limited has been contributing.

It would be recalled that the Vice President recently commissioned the multi-billion naira WACOT Rice Mill in Argungu, Kebbi State. The objective of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative is to ‘disrupt’ the importation of blended NPK fertilizer, by directly negotiating discounted contracts for procuring core raw materials, locally blending same, and selling NPK fertilizer to farmers at a significantly lower price.

The rejuvenation of the Edo State fertilizer plant is an integral part of Governor Obaseki’s Accelerated Agriculture Initiative designed to support and actualize the job creation and food sustainability vision of the Buhari’s administration, through Public Private Partnership (PPP). This according to the Governor will not only enhance the state’s socio-economic status but will also create an avenue for the youths to leverage on the expertise of major players in the Agricultural sector.

The Edo State fertilizer plant managed by WACOT Limited will benefit from the unprecedented bilateral cooperation between the Governments of Nigeria and Morocco, which has already resulted in the revitalization of 11 fertilizer blending plants across the country.

Speaking recently while inspecting the Edo State fertilizer plant, Governor Obaseki commended WACOT Limited and used the opportunity to reiterate his administration’s commitment towards helping to achieve the Federal Government’s agricultural self-sufficiency drive for the country.

Mr. Rahul Savara, the Group Managing Director of TGI Group, the parent company of WACOT Limited, said that the plant has been optimized for both physical and compound blending and that it was ready for operation.

Speaking on the Group’s involvement in the Agricultural sector, Mr. Savara said, “We are firm believers in this administration’s vision of attaining food self-sufficiency. Therefore we will continue to invest in the agricultural sector significantly, with interventions targeted at the various agricultural value chains”.

Also commenting on the development, Mr. Ujwal Senapati, Managing Director of WACOT Limited said, “we will continue to deliver quality agricultural inputs at affordable prices, and in the near future, we will be producing crop-specific fertilizer for a diverse range of crops locally”.

WACOT Limited is a market leader in agro-processing, manufacturing, and distribution of certified agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.

Our GMD’s Speech at the WACOT Rice Commssioning

Protocols and Salutations

We are extremely delighted to welcome each one of you today to the commissioning of our integrated rice mill at Argungu, Kebbi State.

The rice mill being the first to be conceived and constructed in this administration, is also the largest parboiled rice mill in Africa.

This state-of-the-art rice mill with a capital outlay of over =N= 10 Billion capable of processing over 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy per annum will create over 3,500 direct and indirect jobs. Your Excellencies, WACOT participates in the entire rice value chain, from seed multiplication and improving farming practices – to processing, branding and distribution. As we increase capacity, we will be off taking paddy from over 50,000 rice farmers.

Our business model focuses on sustainability and we believe that farmers are entrepreneurs. In our agricultural businesses globally, our supply chain is predominantly driven by out-grower farmers.

To ensure we achieve quality consistency in the supply of our raw materials, we invest in building the capacity of farmers through farmer business schools. We have trained over 5,000 small-holder rice farmers on good farming practices, financial management, production cost optimization and yield enhancement techniques. We also engage with the farmers through our demonstration farms – working closely with them from seed to yield.

We are sure that our investments will not only increase farmers’ incomes and livelihoods, but will also go a long way in meeting the Government’s goal of job creation through economic diversification.

We are strong believers in this administration’s vision of attaining food self-sufficiency. The impact of the interventions targeted at the numerous aspects of the agricultural value chain through institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria amongst others, has been invaluable. We believe that Nigeria can and should not only feed itself, but can also export its surplus production to other countries. It has been done before. And there is nothing stopping us from doing it again.

Therefore, for us this is just the beginning. We have plans to invest over =N= 100 billion over the next years in various agricultural value chains.

Vote of Thanks:

On a final note, we would like to say a big thank you to Your Excellency, the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor of Kebbi State, our governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, the Governors of other states, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Gwandu, Our father, the Emir of Argungu, the people of Kebbi State, our financial partners and other dignitaries, who have supported us all through this journey.

We are grateful that you have joined us on this very special day.  For us, this is a source of encouragement to do more. And Your Excellencies, we assure you that we will do much more.

Thank you very much.