ISP Africa Chapter Press Statement – Lagos, 9 July 2026
𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 | 𝗟𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗦, 𝟵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝗜𝗦𝗣 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱
Members of the Africa Chapter of The Incorporated Society of Planters (ISP) have unanimously reaffirmed their confidence in the Chapter’s Chairman, Dr W. Shermal Perera, at the Chapter’s General Consultative Meeting held on 16 June 2026. At that meeting, attended by members, sponsors and industry partners from across Africa, the United States and Asia, the membership formally declined Dr Perera’s offer to resign and mandated him to continue in office — a decision deliberated and reached in his absence. The membership further resolved that there had been no wrongdoing on the part of the Chapter’s committee or its Chairman, contrary to the claims made by ISP Headquarters.
The suspension imposed by ISP Headquarters on 27 April 2026 is both unwarranted and unfair. Each of the grounds advanced was examined in detail by the membership against the Chapter’s and ISP Headquarters’ own records and found to be unsupported. The Chapter has formally requested that the matter be placed before the full Board of Directors for proper review and determination ahead of the dissolution deadline of 12 July 2026 imposed by ISP Headquarters, and calls on ISP Headquarters to state clearly, and to justify to the wider membership, the basis on which it proposes to dissolve the Chapter.
The membership further recorded its concern that subscription monies already remitted by members and deposited with ISP Headquarters have not been applied to those members’ subscriptions and that members have instead been asked to pay again. The Chapter has called on Headquarters to provide a full and transparent accounting of these funds and to regularise the standing of every affected member without any further payment.
“Dr Perera has led this Chapter with integrity and an unwavering commitment to its purpose,” said Dr Fatai Agboola Afolabi, Vice-Chairman of the ISP Africa Chapter. “The membership is united in its confidence in him and in the formative work he and the committee are doing across the continent.”
The Chapter used the occasion to reaffirm its founding mission: advancing agriculture as a route out of poverty across Africa, so that those who work the land can secure reliable access to food, education and healthcare. That mission is being carried forward through the Chapter’s AgriUnity initiative.
Importantly, the members wish to see the present dispute resolved quickly and fairly. They consider that suspending the Chapter, and calling for its dissolution at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, over procedural questions concerning the Chapter’s registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria and other unsubstantiated allegations, is a disproportionate response that casts doubt on the Society’s commitment to its own mandate in Africa. Many sponsors and members have contributed their finances, time and expertise to the Chapter and its work across the continent; a baseless reason cannot justify the dissolution of a Chapter built on that collective investment.
The Chapter thanked its members, sponsors and industry partners for their continued support, and reaffirmed its commitment to a fair and constructive resolution of all outstanding matters.
— 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 —
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗦𝗣 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿
The Africa Chapter of The Incorporated Society of Planters (ISP) is the regional body of the Society since May 2024 — a professional institution serving the plantation and agricultural sector since 1919 — established to advance agriculture and rural livelihoods across the African continent. Through its AgriUnity initiative, the Chapter works to position agriculture as a route out of poverty, supporting those who work the land in securing reliable access to food, education and healthcare.
𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁
𝘔𝘴 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘢, 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘐𝘚𝘗 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 • 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦@𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘴.𝘯𝘦𝘵, +60122051385