MEA | African Excellence Awards 2025 26 Jul23190 Apr25221 Best Agricultural Development Organisation 2025 – South Africa & Client Service Excellence Award 2025 Spanning crop production, livestock farming, forestry, and fisheries, South Africa has a highly diversified – yet incredibly challenging – agricultural sector. Despite boasting the largest agricultural land on the African continent, the country’s agricultural sector only contributes approximately 2.8% to its GDP, impeded by factors such as climate change, water scarcity, and limited market access. OABS Development was founded to bridge the gap between agricultural challenges and sustainable solutions, empowering farmers and agribusinesses across the country to thrive. We heard more from Hamman Oosthuizen, Managing Director, below. Located in Paarl, OABS Development is a company deeply committed to supporting all facets of agriculture across South Africa, from expanding commercial mega farms to cultivating small-scale emerging farmers. The company serves a diverse clientele, including agricultural input suppliers from both local and international farming communities and companies, processing companies, trade and commodity organisations, as well as government departments and related organisations. OABS Development’s expertise spans the entire agricultural value chain, encompassing strategic planning, comprehensive whole farm planning, and innovative post-harvest processing designs. The company offers business development services, engineering solutions, and conducts environmental impact assessments to ensure sustainable practices. Furthermore, it also assists with water use license applications, market assessments, financial and economic modelling, value chain studies, professional valuation assessments, and tailored mentoring and evaluation services, complemented by expert mentorship programmes designed to foster growth within the sector. “Our mission is to serve our clients, the agricultural environment, and the green agenda,” Hamman said, “with the highest level of personal and professional integrity, expert knowledge, dedication, and passion. We strive to serve the agricultural sector through diligent broadening and updating our own knowledge in every field of expertise that we offer, and to share that knowledge and contribute to a sustainable agricultural environment based on sustainable agricultural practices.” Motivated to remain a leading company within the agricultural field, OABS Development emphasises standardisation, innovation, efficiency, and high quality in its work. Promoting the ethos of “work hard and play hard”, the company aims to cultivate a happy, trusting, and closeknit environment within its team, understanding that this is the key to optimum performance. When expanding the team, OABS Development seeks candidates who blend in with this culture, and those who celebrate the high standards upheld company wide. Each member of the team is encouraged to lead by example, from senior management down. This approach has allowed OABS Development to build a team that boasts a wide range of skillsets within the agricultural environment, enabling the company to offer a one-stop-shop service to its customers and earning itself the Client Service Excellence Award 2025. At the very core of OABS Development’s services, and its agricultural planning philosophy, lies a dedication to sustainability – financial, economic, environmental, and social. These elements serve as the pillars of OABS Development’s service and are addressed through the majority of its agricultural development plans. This commitment to sustainability is reflected in OABS Development’s latest agricultural projects, which focus on creating long-term solutions for Africa’s evolving agricultural landscape. Recently, the company has been involved in Due Diligence studies, with the aim of enhancing agricultural investment and industry development through mega farms, targeting countries such as Botswana and Eswatini. OABS Development is also actively involved in Agri-accelerated programmes. The company supports various stakeholders in integrating smallholder farmers into formal agricultural value chains, offering technical assistance and business coaching programmes to ensure longterm success. What’s more, OABS Development designed a five-year crop value chain strategy and implementation plan in 2024 for the Namibia Agronomic Board, supporting the development of a more efficient, competitive, and resilient agronomic sector. Each of these projects are another step towards OABS Development’s mission to foster sustainable agricultural solutions that enhance the productivity, profitability, and inclusion of the sector across Africa. The company is driven to support its clientele in reshaping the future of South Africa’s agricultural industry through a specialised selection of strategies and skills expertly designed to succeed. Named South Africa’s Best Agricultural Development Organisation 2025, OABS Development is a company following a clear upward trajectory towards success. In the wake of the company’s significant achievements, we asked Hamman what the future holds for OABS Development. He shared: “Our plan for the year ahead is to make meaningful, executable contributions to as many agricultural development related projects as possible, to ensure the continued sustainability of the agricultural sector.” We at MEA Markets magazine wish OABS Development the best of luck as it continues on its mission of reshaping and revolutionising agriculture in South Africa. To find out more about OABS Development and its exceptional endeavours, visit the company’s website today. Contact: Hamman Oosthuizen Company: OABS Development Web Address: https://oabs.co.za/
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