BAT West and Central Africa - Our people and culture

Operating in a dynamic, complex and competitive environment, our business continues to be guided by the highest standards of excellence. Hence, having a talented workforce has become one of the most critical factors in our industry. The quality of our people is a major reason we continue to perform well – and why we are so excited about the future as we all work together in engaged teams, in ‘A Great Place to Work’, to deliver our purpose to build A Better Tomorrow™

BAT in West and Central Africa attracts and retains experienced employees and global graduates who look forward to a challenging and rewarding career. Our company’s employment policies include a commitment to equal opportunity, which prohibits any form of discrimination, ethnic or religious bias. This is aimed at ensuring our employees can gain exposure, share and implement global best practices in their respective locations.

Life at BAT in West and Central Africa

How we work

We have a focus on driving high performance; developing the next generation of leaders; valuing the diversity of our employees; encouraging and rewarding entrepreneurial behaviour; and creating an engaging culture where individuals and teams can be successful. Our reputation for high quality and innovative tobacco products is the result of our commitment to recruiting, developing and retaining outstanding talent and building ‘A Great Place to Work’.

The way our people operate is embodied in the BAT Ethos, which underpins our culture and guide how we deliver our strategy.

For us, creating a stretching and supportive culture founded on personal commitment and responsibility that attracts, engages and retains the most talented and diverse people is a primary focus.

We are proud of our Organisational Excellence

As part of the British American Tobacco group, BAT in West and Central Africa is proud of the external recognition we receive each year for our standing as a leading employer in countries worldwide.

In February 2021, the BAT Group was recognised as a Global Top Employer for the fourth consecutive year by the Top Employers Institute after being named as a Top Employer in 46 markets and in five regions – Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East.

This global accolade reflects our group’s commitment to nurturing and furthering the careers of our 55,000 people worldwide.

Apart from group recognitions, BAT Nigeria has also four times in a row been certified Top Employer in Nigeria and Africa by the globally recognised Top Employers Institute, underlining our position as one of the best companies to work for in the country and the continent.

Amongst others, we have been recognised and awarded for:

• 2018/2019/2020/2021 - Top Employer in Nigeria and Africa from the Global Top Employers Institute
• 2021 - People First Organisation and People First CEO awards from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) of Nigeria.
• 2021 - Employers’ Excellence Award in the Food, Beverage and Tobacco category at the annual Employer’s Excellence Awards from the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA)
• 2019 – Leading the Role in Promoting Workplace Health and Safety from the Institute of Safety Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON)
• 2009 – Innovation-Recyclables/Reuse from BAT Global
• 2019 - Business Sustainability Champion Award 2019 for the E-waste Category from E-Terra Technologies
• 2018 – Best International Standards in the Handling and Disposal of Electronic Waste from E-Terra Technologies
• 2018 – Safety Awards 3 Years Accident free from BAT Global
• 2018 – Award on Excellence in Operational Efficiency in Promoting Sustainable Environment from Nigerian Society of Engineers
• 2016 - Best Kept Industrial Premises from Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)
• 2018- Safety Awards 1 Year Accident free’ to BAT TM&D, from BAT Global

Nurturing and Exporting Talents

We have a strong desire to develop, through our local talent in the communities in which we operate, a resilient work force as diverse and talented as any you will find in a global market, using our various Leadership Development programmes across all levels. We are a part of the net exports of talent to the BAT Group with several employees from the West and Central Africa Area on assignment in various BAT offices across the world.

By providing international exposure through short- and long-term assignments, this enables our talents gain experience in management know-how, exposure to new and diverse cultures, and enhance skills and competencies to aid their progression into senior leadership roles. This is also a major win for West and Central Africa’s human capital development aspirations.

Some of our talent exports have shared their experience working in new and diverse environments:

“ The international opportunities have given me the privilege of exposure to varied experiences, cultural appreciation, unrivalled learnings. It has shaped and defined the person I am today and by extension, my family. My wish is that as many employees as possible can benefit in a similar way. The significant exposure for success can be summed up in a few words - the essence of value, commitment, resilience, collaboration and humility. ”
Flora Okereke
Currently Senior Director, Government Affairs and International Policy
Reynolds American, Inc.

“ The experience was enlightening, culturally instructive and a great opportunity to grow professionally and personally ”
Ademola Omitayo
The Area Head of Marketing, West and Central Africa Area (previously International Brand Manager – Pall Mall, Marketing, UK ).

Career Development

Being a leading global business, we offer highly competitive rewards for success, invest heavily in training and development and offer truly international career opportunities.

Visit our Group careers website to find out more about some of our early career initiatives at BAT, what it's like to work with us and to search and apply for jobs.