Olaniyi: Combating Global Warming Through Charcoal Business

Joseph Shina Olaniyi is the managing director of Jossyshy Limited Group. The company manufactures and exports charcoal briquettes and activated charcoal through sustainable means.

Olaniyi, said the charcoal business is  as a result of his exposure to exports in the banking industry. So the business started officially in 2011, and between 2015 and 2016, it had become a leading exporter of palm kernel shells and other agro-waste to produce charcoal from Nigeria.

Speaking about what motivates him, he said, ‘part of the plan is to combat global warming, and we realised that falling trees to make charcoal without planting another one to replace them is a recipe for deforestation. So by 2018, we invested in the acquisition of advanced machines that will help achieve the production of activated charcoal using materials such as palm kernel shells and other agricultural wastes without cutting down any trees in the country.”

Motivation 

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“What motivated me to enter the charcoal business was the exposure to export-related activities that the banking industry gave me. I have worked with Wema and Oceanic Bank Plc in their Apapa branches,” he said.

Lucrativity 

To him, “the business is lucrative, but one must be able to save for the rainy days because, like every other business, it is full of ups and downs.”

Challenges

Despite our success, we still face challenges in the local market, particularly in terms of production costs. We have been unable to compete favourably with local charcoal due to the high cost of production. Our goal is to make our charcoal briquettes more accessible to street traders, like plantains and corn roasters, he added.

Advice

Mr. Olaniyi’s advice for aspiring professionals in the field is to “be positive-minded, focused, and determined. There will always be ups and downs in business, but the ability to persevere and remain focused will surely lead to success.” My philosophy is to see the good in every situation, irrespective of the outcome.”

Biography 

Joseph Shina Olaniyi ,is the managing director of Jossyshy Limited Group, a company that produces charcoal briquettes and activated charcoal from agricultural waste. 

He has a BSc in Accounting from Olabisi Onabanjo University and master’s degrees in public administration, business studies, and transport management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

Olaniyi began his career in the banking industry in 2002 at Wema Bank and later worked at Oceanic Bank as head of marketing before leaving to found Jossyshy Limited Group in 2011.

He has participated in various conferences both domestically and internationally, including representing Nigeria at the Vietnam Expo Hanoi 2011 and the “Achieving Economic Growth Through Transport System 2012” guided tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.