A visit to West African countries namely, Ghana, Togo and Benin was conducted by Mr. Johari Minal, Science Attache of the Embassy of Malaysia in Cairo from 13 to 24 July 2008. Currently, Mr. Johari Minal is attached at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Regional Office, Cairo and he is responsible to provides various technical services through scientific seminars, technical visits and hands-on technical assistance. In general, the MPOB Regional Offices around the world was established with the aim to facilitate and increase utilization of Malaysian palm oil by enhancing technical understanding and general awareness of palm oil and its products.
The visit had given emphasis to promote Malaysian palm olein in consumer packs to the region. Dissemination of information and match-making were the major activities of the visit. Initial groundwork for the forthcoming Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar in Ghana next year was also carried out so as to determine the venue, number of participants, event management company etc.
West African countries contributed 590,000 tonnes of about 1.6 million tonnes of Malaysian palm oil export to Africa in 2007. The region is currently the largest importer of Malaysian palm oil. Interestingly, West African market is finished product market where palm olein in jerrycans of 20 or 25 litres are the major product imported. Most of the imported oils are rerouted to Nigeria, one of the largest consumers of oils and fats in Africa. To a certain extent, the oils also go to hinterlands such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. Although Nigeria is the main consumer of palm oil, the country still bans the importation of all edible oils into the country to protect the local oil palm industry.
