Wholeeats Africa has called for stronger collaboration in building a sustainable health ecosystem powered by the continent’s rich natural resources.
In a virtual event held on Wednesday in commemoration of World Food Day 2025, themed ‘Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,’ experts and entrepreneurs from across Africa came together to discuss “Collaboration for Nutrient Resilience: Herbs, Farmers, & Nutrition.”
In her remarks, Founder, Wholeeats Africa, Mrs. Oluwakemi Jeje, spoke about the need to integrate herbal resources into mainstream health and nutrition practices. She noted that Africa’s vast biodiversity remains one of its greatest assets.
“Food is power, it’s culture, it’s medicine, and most of all, it’s resilience”.
According to her, Africa is one of the richest continents when it comes to herbs; our biodiversity is our greatest resource.
Mrs. Jeje also decried the misuse of herbs across the continent, stressing the need for proper education and safe use.
“There has been a lot of abuse of herbs, whereas we are supposed to benefit from them. We can’t calculate how much loss that has brought in terms of chronic illnesses and preventable deaths”, she added
The webinar featured three speakers: Dr. Margaret Ilomuanya, Associate Professor at the University of Lagos and pharmacist; Dr. Stella Nwoke, Nutritional Consultant specialising in Nutritional Medicine and Molecular Reproductive Health; and Mr. Adeolu Akinyemi, Serial Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Spinel Technologies.
Speaking on the Science of Herbs, Dr. Ilomuanya emphasised the importance of standardising herbal medicine to ensure safety and effectiveness.
“We must isolate, purify, and standardise our herbs so they are safe and effective”.
She also noted that, “Functional foods are where nutrition meets therapy. The fusion of herbal science and pharmaceutics is not about blending the old and the new; herbal medicine is the now.”
While speaking on nutrition as medicine, Dr. Nwoke described lifestyle as a form of prescription that must be taken daily through healthy habits and conscious eating.
“Lifestyle is like a prescription; you take it every day, not once in a while. Healthy living is not expensive; it’s about eating what’s in season and using what grows around you.”
On collaboration and entrepreneurship, Mr. Akinyemi emphasised the power of partnership and consistency in building health-driven businesses.
“Collaboration, credibility, and consistency, that’s the formula that creates capital.
“Resilient businesses think like farmers; they plant deeply, diversify, and collaborate,” he added.
About Wholeeats Africa
Wholeeats Africa is a wellness and food innovation organisation with a vision to bridge the well-being gap through wholesome food solutions. Its product lines include Meditea, a range of herbal teas such as moringa, soursop, bamboo, and lemongrass; and Nutripot, which offers nutritious food products like peanut butter and Toddlers’ Protein.
Its social impact arm, Community Pot, works to improve the nutrition and health of malnourished children through the Nutrition Support Center (NSC) initiative, a new model for nutrition delivery and access in Nigeria.
Since 2022, Community Pot has supported over 1,000 children and empowered more than 1,500 pregnant women and mothers in underserved communities and hospitals across Nigeria with specialised, organic protein meals and nutrition education.