Oreoluwa Famurewa, FCIoD, FNIPR, FNIMN, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc. (FCWAMCO). She is passionate about people, culture, and purposeful communication that drives impact. Over the years, she has been contributing to a great organisation whose mission centres on nourishing Nigeria with quality dairy nutrition while empowering communities, families, and especially women and girls who are key pillars of our society.
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What is your take on IWD 2026 and the theme “Give to Gain” for women and girls?
The theme “Give to Gain” deeply resonates with me because it captures a simple truth, when you invest in women and girls, the entire society progresses. Giving through knowledge, mentorship, opportunity, or support creates ripple effects that return as stronger communities, healthier families, and most resilient economies. At FrieslandCampina WAMCO, this spirit aligns with our culture of collaboration, care and empowerment. We believe that creating opportunities for women is not charity; it is strategy. It is how we build sustainable impact and business continuity for our organisation.
Your impact in FC WAMCO is not hidden, how were you able to achieve that?
My impact is the product of three key principles; Supportive and empowering culture: FC WAMCO encourages ownership, innovation, and leadership at every level.
Team Collaboration: I have been privileged to work with colleagues who are passionate, creative, and committed to excellence.
Purposedriven communication: I always approach my work with the question; how does this create value for people, for the business, and for society?
Ultimately, my achievements reflect the environment we have built, where everyone is encouraged to bring their best selves to work. We thrive by fulfilling our core values; we act with respect, we succeed together and we aim higher.
developing our female children to places of leadership and entrepreneurship, what is your take?
We must be intentional. Development starts early and it requires a structured, supportive ecosystem.
Education: Ensuring girls have equal access to quality learning in science, technology, arts, business, leadership in all spheres of career and development.
Representation: Girls rise when they see women rising. Visibility matters a lot. When the opportunity presents itself, I give visibility especially to the women in my team and allow their wings to fly as far as they can go.
Mentorship and guidance: pairing girls with role models and mentors who can shape their worldview. As a matter of fact, it also includes among other things mentoring a couple of young girls and female employees to navigate company culture and leadership paths.
Confidence building: I am an advocate of being bold and confident. I leverage the potentials of the young girls and women not just in my team but in my workplace, and anywhere I found myself, I always be brave and determined, even when things are tough. It is essential for them to cultivate growth mindset as this will help them progress in their careers and personal lives, whilst teaching girls to speak up, take space, take risks, and believe that leadership is their right.
Skills development: entrepreneurial skills; financial literacy, creativity, negotiation, resilience should be taught early, and to add that at FCWAMCO through our women empowerment programs at communities where we operate, we engage our female local dairy farmers and teach them various vocational skills as well as train them on hygienic dairy farming. A girl who understands her potential, driven by purpose, focus on excellence and turning obstacles into opportunities for growth will ultimately evolve into a woman who shapes the world.
How do we eradicate poverty among women, especially widows and women who have lost their breadwinner?
Women in such vulnerable situations need empowerment, not sympathy. Practical steps such as access to finance; micro loans, grants and interest friendly funding for small businesses will go a long way in ameliorating their situations. Skills acquisition such as vocational training that leads to consistent income, opportunities in agriculture, food processing, digital skills, crafts, retail etc. can give them a noticeable positive effect. Market access is also another way by helping them connect to buyers, cooperatives, and networks. Community support structures, cooperatives, savings groups, and mentorship circles that ensure no woman walks alone. Government and private sector collaboration, targeted policies and CSR programmes with special focus on widows and female headed households can be explored too. When women earn, families rise.
Can you tell us one or two moves your organisation has made to empower the girl child?
At FrieslandCampina WAMCO, empowerment is embedded in our sustainable community strategies. Some of the ways we support the girl child include: Nutrition education programmes by ensuring school age girls receive knowledge on health, wellbeing, and proper nutrition to support learning and confidence. Women focused dairy empowerment: our Dairy Development Programme indirectly supports girls through the strengthening of household income and giving daughters better access to education. Our belief is simple, when you empower a girl, you empower a generation
Still few women in Nigerian politics—what is your advice?
Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. Ensuring women’s participation at the decision-making table is key to a sustainable future, economic development, and reducing inequality. The call to action is for women inclusion and involvement. Women’s involvement is critical across all spheres. Increased female representation reduces gender-based marginalization and engenders inclusive decision – making. Thus, my advice is for women to hit the ground running wherever they find themselves. Leadership begins from community groups, professional associations and advocacy platforms. Generally, women need to support one another across sectors and backgrounds, see themselves not as competitors but as rightful contributors and leverage mentorship, networks to build stronger support systems. Nigeria will continue to thrive as more women’s voices and perspectives shape its future.
