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NTU and SMU students visit Ghana
Olam Agri hosts winners of the Singapore Business Case Competition African Challenge in Accra
A group of Indonesian students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) visited Ghana on an all-expense paid trip for winning the Singapore Business Case Competition x African Challenge 2024.
(from left) Mathew Marchel Lim, Owen Nigel Tjiptarahardja, Raphael Tandiono and Benedict Gautama Utama at Kotoka International Airport, Ghana.
Owen Nigel Tjiptarahardja, Raphael Tandiono, Mathew Marchel Lim, and Benedict Gautama Utama arrived in Accra on 16 December after a 15-hour flight from Singapore accompanied by Que Boxi, Assistant Manager, NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies. They were received at Olam Agri’s head office by Dorcas Diira, marketing executive of Olam Agri and met with Abhra Chatterjee, the Head of Ghana local rice at Olam Agri who gave them an introduction to the schedule in Ghana.
The students and Que Boxi with Abhra Chatterjee, Dorcas Diira and Christiana Asare at the Olam Agri head office in Ghana.
Over the next five days, the team travelled to Sogakope in the Volta Region of Ghana to visit Olam Agri’s rice mills, deepening their understanding of the process of local rice production from polishing, cleaning to packaging and marketing. Back in the head office, Abhra Chatterjee also gave the students a deep dive into Olam Agri’s rice business in Ghana, including rice cultivation trends, branding, procurement process and challenges. Mama Gold is the locally grown and sourced rice brand launched by Olam Agri to bring consumers more choice in the market. They also visited the paddy fields in Golokwati and spoke with local farmers and aggregators on the challenges of harvesting rice and quality control process. The team’s last stop was to the CMB Market, where they interacted with wholesalers and retailers to see what all brands and rice are available and traded in the country and their popularity among the locals.
Visiting a Olam Agri rice mill factory.
A local showing Raphael Tandiono processed rice at a local rice mill factory.
With local farmers and aggregators at the paddy fields in Golokwati.
Being shown how rice is being processed and checked for quality.
Hustle and bustle at the CMB Market.
Talking to a wholesaler at CMB Market.
While in Ghana, the students also had the chance to meet Pamela Carslake, Executive Director of the Afro-Sino Centre for International Relations and held a valuable discussion about the impact of China on Africa and hopes of Africa’s continual growth in the future. At the end of the trip, the students delivered a takeaway presentation on their observation and learnings of the rice market in Ghana. They also reflected that their "trip to Ghana was a transformative experience, immersing us in both the complexities of local rice production and the vibrant culture of the country. From witnessing the challenges faced by farmers to embracing the warmth of the Ghanaian people, we returned with a deeper understanding of the world and a broadened perspective on life."
Discussion with Pamela Carslake.
Visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
