Olam Ghana marked International Women's Day, with the launch of a special mentorship programme for women employees, reaffirming the company's commitment to women empowerment throughout its operations.

The Day was observed under the auspices of the GROW (Globally Reaching Olam Women) Ghana chapter, a dynamic voluntary association of women employees within Olam's global operations. In Ghana, this included some 90 women employees who connected to the virtual celebration from the company's diverse locations across the country and businesses.

The nine-month-long mentoring programme is designed to build on the professional acumen of women, strengthen their capabilities while promoting general wellbeing and satisfaction with their job.

Addressing attendees at the virtual event Amit Agrawal, Country Head - Olam Ghana said, "Over the past years, GROW has played a pivotal role in encouraging employee engagement initiatives by creating a platform to effectively communicate, interact and learn. As an organization, we understand the importance and value of prioritizing diversity and inclusion which is why we've taken concrete action to support the career development of women."

Ms Maidie Arkutu, Senior Vice President and Director of New Business Development at Nutrifoods Ghana Limited, entreated the women to take note of the theme for the 2021 celebration – 'Choose to Challenge' – and urged them to strive to challenge the status quo.

Ms Arkuta observed that the 9-month long mentorship programme firmly aligns with Olam's IDEO agenda which promotes inclusiveness, diversity and equality at the workplace and aims to accelerate the development and readiness of women to take up more roles within Olam.

Mr Kenneth Antwi, National Head of Human Resources, disclosed that presently, many more females in Olam Ghana are taking up job profiles that were predominantly filled by men, especially within the company's Cocoa and Cashew businesses.

The session featured several special fun activities and interactions designed to heighten awareness among women and encourage the participants to volunteer as active agents of change.

GROW was first launched in 2012 by women employees of Olam in the United States with activities that included volunteering, networking, mentoring, celebration and the recognition of merit as the focus. The association was launched with a mission to increase employee engagement activities and foster a globally inclusive environment. The Ghana Chapter of GROW was launched in March 2018.