ONYINYECHI NWAIGBA 
Nigerian Breweries Reaffirms Commitment to Sustainability
Five years into a long term restoration project, more than 340,000 indigenous trees have been planted across over 350 hectares of the degraded Olokemeji Forest Reserve in Ogun State, alongside efforts to protect water resources, restore biodiversity and support surrounding communities.
A forest can disappear gradually.
Trees are cut down. Land is cleared for farming. Wildlife moves away. Soil becomes degraded. Water systems are affected.
By the time the damage becomes obvious, restoring the ecosystem can take years.
That is the challenge behind the Olokemeji Forest Reforestation Project in Ogun State, where a public-private partnership involving Nigerian Breweries Plc, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry has spent the past five years restoring parts of a degraded forest reserve.
The latest milestone is significant: more than 340,000 indigenous trees have been planted and over 350 hectares of degraded forest landscape restored.
But the story is not simply about the number of trees planted.
It is also about what happens when forest restoration is connected to water security, biodiversity and the livelihoods of the people living around the forest.
Why Olokemeji Matters
The Olokemeji Forest Reserve is located between Ibadan and Abeokuta and is managed by the Ogun State Government.
IITA describes the reserve as one of the major forest reserves in southwestern Nigeria, but notes that it has experienced significant degradation from unsustainable exploitation and farming practices.
That degradation has consequences beyond the trees themselves.
Forests provide habitats for plants and animals, help protect soil, influence water systems and contribute to the broader resilience of ecosystems.
When forests are degraded, those functions can also weaken.
This is why restoration is more complicated than simply putting seedlings into the ground.
A successful restoration project has to consider what kind of trees are planted, whether they can survive, what happens to biodiversity and how the surrounding community interacts with the restored landscape.
Not Just Any Trees
One of the notable features of the Olokemeji project is its emphasis on indigenous tree species.
IITA says the restoration uses native species adapted to the area’s soil and climate. More than 80 indigenous species have been used in the restoration work, including economically valuable trees such as locust bean and African breadfruit.
That matters because planting large numbers of trees does not automatically recreate a forest.
A diverse forest supports different plants, animals and ecological processes.
IITA’s Forest Center has previously highlighted the importance of restoring tree diversity rather than simply replacing degraded forest with a single tree species. Its approach at Olokemeji is intended to help bring back native biodiversity, including birds and other wildlife.
The objective, therefore, is not just to increase the number of trees.
It is to help rebuild an ecosystem.
From Tree Planting to Water Security
There is another reason the project matters to Nigerian Breweries.
Water is a critical resource for the brewing industry, making water stewardship an important part of the company’s environmental strategy.
Nigerian Breweries says its environmental sustainability approach includes protecting healthy watersheds and managing water beyond its brewery sites. Its partnership with IITA and the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry is part of that wider approach.
The Olokemeji project is therefore connected to a larger question:
How can businesses protect the natural systems that support both communities and economic activity?
Healthy forests can help retain rainfall, protect watersheds and support underground water systems.
At an International Day of Forests event held at Olokemeji in March 2026, IITA reported that the restoration had reached 319 hectares and more than 300,000 planted trees. The organisation also linked the restoration to watershed protection, aquifer replenishment and biodiversity recovery.
The newer milestone of more than 350 hectares shows that the restoration work has continued.
The People Living Around the Forest Matter Too
A forest restoration project can struggle if the people living around it are excluded.
Olokemeji’s approach therefore includes community participation.
IITA says the project uses a community-based conservation model, with surrounding communities involved in restoration and conservation activities.
The project also provides alternative livelihood opportunities, including beekeeping, vegetable production, compost production and herbal gardens. More than 100 community members had benefited from alternative livelihood opportunities as of March 2026.
This is important because environmental protection and livelihoods can sometimes come into conflict.
People depend on land and natural resources to earn a living.
If conservation simply restricts access without creating alternatives, communities may have limited incentives to support it.
But when conservation is connected to income opportunities, skills and community development, protecting the ecosystem can become part of the local economic picture.
A Borehole Was Also Added
The project’s community impact has also extended beyond the forest itself.
During the International Day of Forests activities in March, Nigerian Breweries commissioned a borehole providing clean water to the Olokemeji community.
That addition is particularly relevant because the event also coincided with discussions around water security.
It illustrates how environmental programmes can intersect with immediate community needs.
For a community located around a forest reserve, water access and ecosystem health are not completely separate issues.
The quality and availability of water are connected to the health of the surrounding environment.
This Is a Long-Term Project
One of the easiest mistakes in environmental campaigns is to treat tree planting as a one-day activity.
Take photographs.
Plant seedlings.
Announce a number.
Move on.
Forest restoration does not work that way.
Trees need to survive.
They need protection.
The ecosystem needs time to recover.
Communities need to remain involved.
And progress needs to be monitored.
The Olokemeji project was designed as a 10-year restoration effort, with the original partnership covering the restoration of hundreds of hectares of the forest reserve.
Nigerian Breweries’ own reporting shows how the project has progressed over time. In its 2024 annual report, the company reported 283,904 trees across 292 hectares at the end of 2024. Its 2025 annual report put the cumulative figure at 300,304 trees across 310 hectares after 16,400 trees were planted during the year.
The latest reported milestone of more than 340,000 trees and over 350 hectares therefore represents continued progress in the restoration effort.
What Does Success Look Like?
The number of trees is an easy metric to communicate.
But it is not the only one that matters.
Over time, a successful restoration project should also be able to demonstrate whether trees survive and mature, whether native biodiversity returns, whether water systems are protected and whether communities continue to benefit.
IITA has already reported signs of returning birdlife and other wildlife at Olokemeji, while also pointing to the project’s potential to support ecotourism in the future.
Those outcomes are harder to capture in a headline than the number of seedlings planted.
But they may ultimately tell us more about whether a degraded forest is actually recovering.
What Businesses Can Learn From It
For businesses operating in sectors that depend heavily on natural resources, environmental responsibility cannot stop at reducing waste inside the factory.
It can also mean looking at the ecosystems that make production possible.
For Nigerian Breweries, water is one obvious connection.
For agricultural companies, healthy soil and biodiversity matter.
For fishing businesses, healthy waterways and marine ecosystems matter.
For tourism operators, natural landscapes matter.
The broader lesson is that environmental sustainability can become more meaningful when companies consider the relationship between their operations, surrounding ecosystems and communities.
Beyond Planting Trees
The Olokemeji project began with a straightforward objective: restore degraded forest.
Five years later, its story has become broader.
More than 340,000 indigenous trees have been planted.
More than 350 hectares have been restored.
Communities have been involved in conservation and alternative livelihoods.
A borehole has been provided for the surrounding community.
And the project is being linked to biodiversity, watershed protection and climate resilience.
But the real measure of the work will come with time.
A forest cannot be restored in a single planting season.
The trees need to grow.
Wildlife needs to return.
Water systems need to remain protected.
And communities need to see value in keeping the forest standing.
That is what makes Olokemeji an interesting example of corporate environmental action.
It is not simply about how many trees can be planted.
It is about whether those trees can become part of a living, functioning ecosystem that continues to support people and nature long after the cameras are gone.
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