News
Freddy Hirsch and Symrise Partnership Continues to Drive Innovation in Authentic Local West African Flavors
The Partnership between Symrise and Freddy Hirsch Nigeria is enabling the use of state-of-the-art technology and a global flavor library.
Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Director Flavor, Africa Middle East, Symrise
It allows the partners to tap into the pulse and valuable insights from African customers, to meet the unique taste preferences of the regional market, and develop competitive solutions in culinary, bakery, confectionery, and dairy.
Every African country knows several examples of hyperlocal flavors. Jollof rice enjoys the greatest popularity as a dish.
Through its culinary insights, Symrise and Freddy Hirsch have identified that each country’s jollof rice comes with a unique flavor note.
The product developers have been able to create specific raw-ingredient based flavor notes for each region.
A prime example relates to how in Nigeria, people enhance the jollof flavor by a unique smokey note, captured in the famous ‘party jollof’.
In Ghana, on the other hand, the cooked tomato note provides a balance to the jollof rice.
Other similar flavors with localized notes include the African Basil/scent leaf, an aromatic herb native to West Africa.
The flowers and the leaves of this herb contain a high amount of essential oils and add fragrant flavor to soups, salads, and other local dishes.
It serves as a multipurpose and versatile flavor with applications across culinary, medicinal, preservatives and perfumes.
In Africa, people know and treasure it under various names: Effirin (Yoruba Tribe); Nchanwu or Ahuji (Igbo Tribe); Daidoya (Hausa Tribe) and Nunum (Ghana).
To achieve their vision of innovating authentic African flavors and tastes, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria and Symrise have invested in research, development, and application laboratories and a manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art quality management systems.
In Nigeria, experts develop flavors for various application areas. They have specialized in savory foods, sweet applications, and beverages tailored to the African market. Because partners act locally, they can tap into the pulse and gain valuable insights from their customers.
Also, they can meet the unique taste preferences of the regional market and develop competitive solutions in culinary, bakery, confectionery, and dairy.
These capabilities allow them to develop regional and truly hyperlocal flavors and ingredients for the African markets.
Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Director, Flavor, Africa Middle East at Symrise says “We can deliver even greater speed to market in Africa.
“This strategic partnership with Freddy Hirsch Nigeria will give us deeper access to valuable insights about Africa’s food industry.”
In his comments, Kojo Brifo, managing director of Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said “Our partnership with Symrise provides an acceleration of flavor development across West Africa and will increase the creativity of customized flavors, help our customers attain speed to market, and enhance their operational agility.”
Ogba Ogbaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, has said that he has been instructed to institute legal proceedings against MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, 9mobile and MultiChoice Nigeria, operators of DStv, over what he described as unfair consumer practices relating to expiring data bundles and television subscriptions.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ogbaga said his law firm, GIMBG Legals, received instructions from its client, KAA, also known as KaaTruths, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court.
According to him, the proposed suit will question whether telecom operators and DStv’s subscription models comply with provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws.
Ogbaga alleged that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers, claiming subscribers sometimes do not receive the services they paid for but still lose their subscriptions once the validity period expires.
He also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather conditions and service interruptions, while subscriptions continue to count down regardless.
“Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said, adding that the legal action would also extend to other telecommunications providers and DStv.
He said the court action would seek judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with consumer protection laws.
The lawyer also invited interested legal practitioners to collaborate on the case, saying his firm would provide updates as the matter progresses.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Ogbaga said previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly had failed to address the concerns raised by consumers.
He argued that telecom operators regularly carry out maintenance and network upgrades that temporarily disrupt services without extending customers’ subscription periods, while DStv subscribers also lose viewing time because of electricity outages and weather-related disruptions.
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commenced the issuance of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the industry’s new minimum capital requirements, marking the formal beginning of a new regulatory era aimed at strengthening the financial capacity, governance and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s insurance sector.
At a ceremony held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, presented the new licence certificates to compliant operators, describing the exercise as a major milestone in the industry’s recapitalisation programme.
According to the Commission, a total of 43 insurance companies declared compliant with the new capital requirements are expected to receive the new licence certificates in phases.
Omosehin congratulated the successful companies, saying the issuance of the new licences signals the beginning of a stronger regulatory framework anchored on improved capitalisation, sound corporate governance, innovation and sustainable growth.
He urged operators to leverage their enhanced capital base to develop innovative insurance products, improve operational efficiency and deepen insurance penetration across the country.
The Commissioner said the Commission expects the recapitalised companies to deliver stronger financial performance while maintaining high standards of professionalism and customer service.
He also announced that NAICOM’s next major regulatory initiative would be the implementation of the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) framework, under which insurers’ capital levels would be aligned with the risks inherent in their respective business portfolios.
According to him, the new framework will further strengthen the industry’s resilience by ensuring that insurers maintain capital commensurate with the risks they underwrite, thereby enhancing policyholder protection and boosting market confidence.
Omosehin reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to removing regulatory impediments where necessary while maintaining effective oversight to safeguard policyholders and strengthen confidence in the insurance market.
The issuance of the new licence certificates marks the commencement of a phased transition to higher capital standards aimed at improving the financial capacity, solvency and claims-paying ability of insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
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