The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (ASA/WISHH) and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) co-hosted the African Trade Exchange to strengthen trade with the African continent and discuss partnership opportunities to build demand for U.S. Soy.
In total, nearly 300 U.S. Soy customers and soy industry representatives from more than 30 countriesregistered, and the conference’s virtual platform will allow participants to access sessions on-demand following the event.
The two-day virtual conference took place November 9-10 and showcased globally renowned and highly regarded speakers on the international grain trade, the future of the African feed industry and long-term commercial trade development.
“Africa continues to be a region that holds tremendous potential. It is a great example of where we see a future for U.S. Soy, and our goal is to expand engagement with customers and remain a consistent supplier to this region,” said Jim Sutter, USSEC CEO. “This virtual conference is more evidence of our long-term commitment to the African region in partnership with WISHH and USGC and our optimism on building long-term relationships.”
Sub-Saharan Africa is currently the sixth largest destination of U.S. feed and grain exports, with Nigeria being the largest destination within the region. According to the USDA, soybean and soybean meal feed use in the region are projected to increase by 59% and 35%, respectively, until 2029. These numbers represent an opportunity for boosted demand of U.S. Soy.
“The need for a high-quality protein product like U.S. soybean meal will be vital as this region’s population continues to grow,” said Monte Peterson, Chairman of USSEC, board member of the American Soybean Association and soybean farmer in Valley City, N.D. “Our farmers are prepared to meet this need and show how U.S. Soy delivers proven, consistent quality, reliability and value to earn its role as a trusted partner around the globe.”
Earlier this year, a new comprehensive study reinforced U.S. Soy’s reputation as a global leader in nutrient density and economic value. A meta-analysis of eighteen different studies with 1,944 samples quantified the relationship between country of origin of the bean and the chemical composition and nutritive value of the soybean meal. The analysis provesthat U.S. soybean meal not only has an advantage relative to higher sucrose levels, an excellent amino acid profile, higher digestibility, increased metabolizable energy and lower fiber content (when compared to other origins) but it also has a price advantage. All of which can be beneficial to the sub-Saharan Africa region.
“Identifying new and growing markets in sub-Saharan Africa is part of the long-term strategy to build a strong pipeline of demand for U.S. Soy. The population of this region exceeds 1 billion people, with predictions to double by 2050, making it one of the most substantial frontier markets in the entire world,” said Kevin Roepke, USSEC’s Regional Director for South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.“Holding virtual meetings like the African Trade Exchange will help us grow and sustain these markets where there is significant future potential due to factors such as large populations, improving economic conditions and low protein consumption.”
Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the processes of securing credit, hedging risk, formulating rations and many other facets of the international soy and feed grain supply chain. Other topics included: the state of the West African market, a U.S. Soy industry spotlight, aquafeed production, animal feed production and industrial feed compounding.
“Providing technical, economic and logistical assistance is at the heart of the U.S. Grains Council’s long-term strategy in Africa, where the United Nations estimates demand for meat, milk and eggs will quadruple by 2050s,” saidKurt Shultz, Senior Director of Global Strategies for USGC.“Events like the African Trade Exchange are also an important part of our plan to solidify and build relationships in the region.”
The conference also provided an exclusive networking opportunity for USSEC and USGC members to engage importers through the U.S. Grain and Soy Spotlight. The spotlight allowed attendees to participate in a one-hour roundtable, encouraging relationship-building and educational opportunities to learn more about these organizations committed to sub-Saharan Africa.
“Delivering to Africa’s growing protein demand was a priority for U.S. soybean growers when they founded WISHH in 2000. WISHH has 20 years of proven experience working with African entrepreneurs who join us in recognising the importance of protein for Africa’s food security, as well as the economic opportunities it provides for businesses,” said Liz Hare, Executive Director of WISHH. “This conference was testament to U.S. soybean farmer commitment to supplying high-quality protein to the African continent.”
Sessions were held over two days and noteworthy speakers included:
• Clay Hamilton, Associate Administrator and General Sales Manager for the Foreign Agricultural Service
• John Coumantaros, Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria
• Emily French, Managing Director at ConsiliAgra
• Andrew Moore, soybean farmer in northwest Georgia and American Soybean Association board member
• Mac Marshall, Vice President, Market Intelligence for the United Soybean Board and U.S. Soybean Export Council

Event Highlights
Clay Hamilton, Associate Administrator and General Sales Manager for the Foreign Agricultural Service, delivered a welcome address to kick off the conference, in which he spoke about the U.S. agriculture’s dedication to the African region.

“We have re-dedicated ourselves to the African continent. This is a tremendous region. It continues to grow and there is so much opportunity here. For us, there are three areas we are focused on: trade policy, technical support, and market development. There is a lot going on with Africa, and this venue is a great opportunity to learn about that and how we can make trading productive.”

In a Q&A with Kevin Roepke, USSEC’s Regional Director for South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, John Coumantaros, Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria, spoke about the development and change he has seen over the past six decades in the region.

“We are celebrating our 60th anniversary not only in Nigeria as a country but Flour Mills is also 60 years old. When we began in 1960 the country was only 35 million people and today it is over 200 million and growing at around5 million people per year. So there lies great opportunity and great challenge here. There has been a large movement of people from the rural sector to the urban sector. In Nigeria it has gone from 62% rural to 48% rural. There is great movement to the urban sector which means there is great necessity for food security. Demographics and the median age have also changed. Currently, 60% of the population the median age is 18,so we have a huge young population which means the need for jobs and investment is also strong.”

Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, Managing Director of Amo Farms in Nigeria, spoke about the demand for protein in the region, during a panel on the state of the West African Market.
“There is a definite demand for protein. Now, it’s very clear that animal protein can’t do it alone. First of all, we use a lot of soybeans in the animal feed space. Soy has become the protein source of choice in animal feed. In order to meet the rising demand for animal protein, we have to consume a lot of soybeans. In addition, there is an effort to increase human consumption of soybeans to augment what is consumed through the animal proteins. We have realized that the need for us to continue to grow this space has led to a significantly higher demand for maize and soybeans.”

Matthew Clark, of FeedGuys and founding member of Genesis Feed Technologies, led a breakout session on maximizing the value of soy in animal feed protection where he discussed the Nutrient Value Calculator (NVC).

“The NVC allows you to look at the economic impact of using different types of soybean meal. Data from Dr. Gonzalo Mateos and his team in Spain sheds more light on the comparative nutrient value of soybean meals from different countries of origin. The NVC processes this data to turn the nutrition information into financial data to make the right purchasing choice. With NVC, you can buy the best soybean meal for your business and reduce your feed costs.”

As the global community celebrates the World Whole Grain Day on November 19, Crown Flour Mill Ltd has reiterated its unrelenting commitment to national food security through consistent focus on food safety, innovation and cost efficiencies especially along its wheat-milling value-chain.
The company which produces a wide range of quality flour, pasta noodles, biscuits, semolina and confectionery from wheat has made a major investment in milling plants and technical innovations across its subsidiaries. Crown Flour Mill’s product range comprises Mama Gold Flour, Crown Premium Pasta, Crown Pasta, Supreme Semolina and Crown Tuwovita.
Ashish Pande, Managing Director, Crown Flour Mill Ltd said that the companyis focused on meeting the Nigerian consumers’ yearning for consistent access to quality, healthy and affordable food staples. He said: “Based on a deep understanding of the Nigerian consumers, our food brands are produced under the highest safety standards; and we have developed a robust distribution and redistribution network that are tailored to the market landscape.These efforts ensure that our portfolio of wheat-based products such as flour used atbakeries and confectioneries; and packaged pasta and noodle brands which are consumed frequently in Nigerian households, are made available across retail shops andmarketplaces across Nigeria.”
The Crown Flour Mill Limited Managing Director further reiterated the company’s commitment to quality food standards and production models that add nutritional value to the consumers and economic benefits to the nation.
Pande further stated: “With our major investments in modern milling plants,we have been able to develop an efficient milling process. The investment in our production process is a further demonstration of our focus on food safety, consumer nutritional health and cost efficiencies.”

P+ Measurement Services, Nigeria’s foremost Independent Public Relations (PR) measurement and evaluation agency, marks its fifth-year of successful operation in Nigeria with qualitative offerings that surpasses clients’ expectation.
The leading agency with expertise in Media Monitoring, PR Measurement and Audit, CEO Media Performance and Advisory, has offered services to over 45 brands and 15 Public Relations agencies in its five years of operation in the country.
As the only AMEC Member in Nigeria, P+ has strong partnerships with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Reelforge Media Monitoring; the biggest media monitoring agency in the East African region covering more than five countries.
Speaking on its business portfolio, the Chief Insights Officer, Philip Odiakose, said every client media data has a story to tell and it depends on how strategic you are in flogging the data to yield meaningful results.
He avowed that P+ services with state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled media analysts has greatly enhanced clients’ businesses to immeasurable heights, exceeding their expectations, thus making P+ unique in the industry it operates.
“Our Measurement and Evaluation report is in-depth, robust and flexible to accommodate valid metrics that brands desire to see reflected in their reports, and it is also based on the AMEC Standard in accordance with the Barcelona Principle 3.0. We deploy the P+MCA (media content analysis) methodology for media evaluation and analysis based on qualitative and quantitative metrics in analysing media exposure,” Odiakose affirmed.
On the agency’s portfolio, the Chief Operating Officer, Olufunke Mohammed, points out that P+ understands the value of valid PR metrics to its clients’ media performance audit report.
Since inception, the agency has been able to provide media monitoring, measurement, evaluation and performance audit services for brands, agencies and government bodies that operates in various industries and organisations ranging from Banking, Telecom, Insurance, Airlines, Tourism, Government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Pensions, Health Management Organisations (HMOs), Tobacco and Lifestyle.
Attesting to P+ capabilities and unique offerings, the Regional Executive Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Standard Bank Group, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, said they are strategic in their input, futuristic in their outlook, and that the agency is an amazing partner on managing upheavals in the media management value chain. “I would recommend them easily,” she said.
Also, the Principal Lead/ Chief Executive Officer, BudgIT Foundation, Gabriel Okeowo, put forward that P+ has been of great support to the Foundation, as it serves as a media crawler and auditor for its PR activities.
He further stated that P+ is relevant for impact tracking and more importantly for quickly identifying negative vibes around the work of BudgIT, thus giving the Foundation the opportunity of responding swiftly to issues. He therefore recommends the agency to other organisations for optimum efficiency.

Protein deficiency, the state of the relative or absolute shortage of body proteins or one or more of the essential amino acids, is emerging as a genuine health concern in Nigeria.
To effectively tackle the problem, experts concede that there is an urgent need to explore its true status in Nigeria, examine the possible reasons why it has lingered and then evaluate options for curtailing incidences.
This is precisely what the Protein Challenge Webinar Series 5, themed ‘Protein Deficiency: Bridging The Knowledge Gap’ sought to address. It was a platform to identify strategies to help in alleviating protein deficiency for individuals, families and the nation at large.
The keynoted address was delivered by Professor Henrietta Nkechi Ene-Obong, Nutritionist and Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Calabar. Panelists on the webinar included Dr. Ifeoma Augustina Akeredolu, a member of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria and Chief Lecturer, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, YabaTech, and Dr. Bimbo Oyedokun, a medical expert and Managing Partner, QuePlus Health Services.
The session was moderated by Mrs Anwuli Ogbonnaya, aka Chef Wulis, healthy food expert and CEO/Founder, PartyParty Kitchen.

Here are the Top 10 takeaways from the webinar:

1. Food is one of the basic needs of life. We all need food to survive. However, the quality of food must be considered. The quality of food is essentially the nutrients in the food. Protein is a nutrient needed by the human body for growth and maintenance. Proteins are essential for good health. Protein food sources are therefore a premium. Many people realise this, that is why they always add protein to their diets.

2. Protein quality depends on three things:
a. The balance of essential amino acids (complete and incomplete protein)
b. Limiting amino acids and
c. Digestibility: the capacity of the protein to be broken down by the enzymes of the intestinal tract

3. Everybody needs protein. People with more physiological requirements, like pregnant and lactating mothers and children, need more proteins in their diets. People have to learn how to plan meals, to optimize the available food sources. Quality Information about foods and their nutrient classes must be gotten from nutrition experts and health practitioners. Variety, they say, is the spice of life. So, people need to develop exciting recipes for different food crops, to continually create variety.

4. Protein deficiency can manifest in different forms; anaemia, micronutrient deficiency, among others. Protein deficiency can lead to other nutrient-related illnesses, like anaemia, beriberi and wasting. Signs and symptoms of protein deficiency include water retention, reddish skin, pale skin, limp hair, fatty liver, etc. Children who have been malnourished are at risk of losing their hair and teeth.

5. Nutrition education is indeed a very important part of resolving malnutrition. Advocacy and proper implementation of nutrition policies must be done in Nigeria to checkmate protein deficiency. Proper funding must be allocated to ministries, NGOs and health centres nationwide. Breaking the language barriers in the nation can bridge the knowledge gap on protein deficiency. More knowledge needs to be imparted to all members of society through different media channels. Proper nutrition education must be conducted in all localities.

6. Changing behavioural communications in society can also lessen the burden of malnutrition. Nutrition should be included in the educational curriculum. Children are very good at sharing with parents what they learn. Improving nutrition education in communities and across the rural areas will go a long way to create awareness about protein deficiency.

7. Empowering health workers in rural communities with appropriate funding and tools will enable them to disseminate nutrition information. Health Care Practitioners in rural areas should also be involved in spreading the gospel of proper nutrition for healthy living. There must be deliberate efforts to create visible impacts against protein deficiency through policies.

8. Preventive measures are more preferable in tackling protein deficiency and malnutrition. It is crucial to increase our protein intake. Soybeans have been used in the eastern parts of Nigeria, like Nsukka, to better improve staple diets. People afflicted with protein deficiency need to speak with health experts, and not be afraid of the financial costs. Protein deficiency is treatable and preventable. If we follow our food-based dietary guidelines, we would make progress in curtailing protein deficiency

9. Protein deficiency lingers for many reasons, but largely because of monotonous diets and poor utilization of available food resources. Poverty and low levels of education in the rural areas have caused protein deficiency to linger in Nigeria. Lack of safe water and proper hygiene are also some of the environmental causative factors of protein deficiency. The upheavals in the country, insecurity and the pandemic have also contributed to making protein deficiency remain a national issue.

10. Protein complementation with plant-based, affordable proteins like soybeans, legumes, will help to reduce the scourge of malnutrition. Other indigenous legumes like the African yam beans, pigeon peas and Bambara are also very rich sources of protein. Cereals have a smaller amount of amino acids (lysine), compared to other leguminous peas and pods. In family meals, it is important to learn to mix carbohydrates with proteins. For example, rice & beans and yam & eggs.

In conclusion, bridging the protein deficiency knowledge gap and providing the capacity to bridge it puts the knowledge into action. Protein deficiency can become a thing of the past when all hands are on deck to address it.