Nigerian-based Nature’s Bounty Health Products (ReelFruit), in collaboration with the U.S. government has inaugurated an 800-metric ton dried fruit processing facility in Ogun State.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began its partnership with ReelFruit in 2021 and through the West Africa Trade & Investment Hub project (Trade Hub), awarded ReelFruit a $500,000 co-investment grant to aid the company’s supply chain recovery post-COVID-19.
ReelFruit concurrently invested $2m sourced through a private equity fund to complete the dried fruit processing factory, scaling up its operations by almost 10-fold.
This partnership supported 355 smallholder farmer networks across eight states in Nigeria including Adamawa, Edo, Ekiti, Kaduna, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, and Oyo by providing training on good agronomic practices and directly purchasing their fresh fruits.
The Trade Hub project fosters competitiveness and agricultural productivity among Nigerian farmers, enhancing regional and international trade.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the U.S. government, the USAID Nigeria’s Deputy Mission Director, Sara Werth, noted that the partnership and investment is made possible through a multi-sector strategy of engaging government, the private sector, and communities to empower and strengthen local capacities.
“Spanning the last twenty-five years, the U.S. government has been investing in Nigeria’s economic growth, particularly the agriculture and agribusiness sectors,” Werth said.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ReelFruit, Affiong Williams described the factory as the largest dried fruit factory in Nigeria.
He said, “Today marks a momentous occasion in the history of our company. We are proud to have commissioned the largest dried fruit factory in Nigeria, which serves as a testament to my long-term unwavering belief in Nigeria’s Agricultural and manufacturing opportunity. We are going to process our range of dried fruits at scale, to serve customers across the country, as well as sell ‘Made in Nigeria’ to the rest of the world, creating hundreds of jobs, and positively impacting farmers.”
