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History of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) in Nigeria

Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) in Nigeria, also known as fast-food restaurants, have come a long way. Since the first QSRs launched in the 1960s, under UAC Nigeria Plc, as little stands selling snacks, they have since evolved.

In 1973, they expanded under the name Kingsway Rendezvous, and Nigeria opened its doors wide to other QSR players.

QSRs provide a wide range of fast-food options, including regional and international cuisines. This food service establishment serves food and beverages quickly and efficiently, often with minimal table service.

Notably, the market is characterized by both local and international franchising models, while it continues to expand and evolve.

Currently, Nigeria’s organized fast-food industry is estimated at N250 billion ($602.5 million), according to the Association of Fast-Food Confectioners of Nigeria (AFFCON), and has been growing at a 10% annual rate in recent years.

Since its incorporation in 1999, Food Concepts Plc (operators of Chicken Republic) have dominated the Nigerian market. Food Concepts operates Nigeria’s Chicken Republic, PieXpress, and The Chop Box franchise.

Chicken Republic, which is Food Concepts’ major outlet, produces various meals and snacks, including its flagship spiced chicken meals, with 200 outlets spread across Nigeria and Ghana. Chicken Republic has plans to operate 430 stores by the end of 2024.

A few of the multinational QSR brands, such as Domino’s Pizza, KFC, and Pizza Hut, have a presence in Nigeria and have aided in the development of the nation’s QSR market. Many local QSRs such as Bukka Hut, Kilimanjaro, Foodies, The Place, Sweet Sensations, Mega Chicken, Tantalizers, Chicking and Crunchies have grown and provide various food choices to match the requirements and preferences of the diverse consumer base.

Drivers of Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) growth

Increased urbanization, a growing working class, adoption of digital innovation, and changing consumer lifestyles have been identified as key factors driving sustainability and growth in the country’s QSR sector. Other drivers include Nigeria’s booming tourism and hospitality sector, technology adoption, and increasing demand for new flavors.

As key Nigerian cities swell with a growing middle class, and Gen Z and millennials – unique demographic groups with different palates, tastes, and inclinations to eat out – new opportunities open up for QSR owners to provide differentiated offerings for these booming customer markets.

The COVID-19 outbreak also had a significant impact on the industry, forcing restaurants to adjust to stay-at-home orders, create new menu items that could be delivered, and provide more options for consumers to take their food to go.

The need for quick-service restaurants, or QSRs, increased as a result of this transformation. However, despite its robust growth rate and the projections that the market will continue to expand, QSRs, just like other industries in Nigeria, are confronted with myriads of business challenges, such as stiff competition, ensuring service uniformity and consistency across branches, supply chain vulnerabilities, and other operational challenges.

Innovation can drive the sustained growth of QSRs in Nigeria

QSR operators in Nigeria can benefit from innovation and developments to fulfill the demands and preferences of their customers as the restaurant industry is undergoing constant change. Technological advancements and social considerations have a significant impact on many trends and innovations.

The fundamental point is to keep the business operating and flexible enough to continue winning customers.

In terms of technological trends, restaurants in Nigeria are now more frequently implementing payment methods that make it simple for clients to make payments using Point of Sale (PoS) systems. This improves accessibility, and convenience and helps QSRs to align with existing cashless policies.

From a pricing and affordability standpoint, food vendors are introducing new packages to fit broad budgets. For example, we have seen Chicken Republic introduce a package consisting of rice and eggs with sauce at a pocket-friendly price, helping millions of Nigerians have access to food at a cheap price. Domino’s Pizza did the same thing with its new chicken and jollof rice menu and the Mexican burrito (Nigerian version).

To improve their menus, QSRs need innovation around their offerings and customized solutions that are tailored to the unique palates and experiences of their customers. Thanks to culture, and cuisine, and bolstered by improved earning power, Nigerian customers today are developing new tastes and inclinations to eat out and this provides an opportunity for quick-service restaurants.

Interestingly, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered people to pay close attention to their health and nutritional needs. The health food segment got a boost with the proliferation of products ranging from salads to parfaits to wraps among others. Other food operators also introduced different meal segments, with new flavors and spices. For example, the Ginger flavor became an important spice because of its anti-oxidizing power to prevent stress and damage to the body’s DNA makeup.

… As well as quality and excellent service delivery…

Every QSR must prioritize consistency and quality if it wants to succeed in the long run. Customers can expect the same level of consistent, high-quality service each time they enter a restaurant. This boosts consumer confidence in the brand and may greatly affect the entire enterprise.

It all comes down to a few things, such as the caliber of the food, the atmosphere, the experience, and the customer service, which are what keep customers loyal to a particular brand of the restaurant. A poor eating experience at a similar sort of restaurant impacts the brand.

Naturally, tastes are the most important factor for customers when deciding whether to visit a particular restaurant. To spice up the taste of the food for customers, the quality of the tastes and seasonings is essential. As a food vendor, creating delectable dishes involves a grasp of taste and what consumers will enjoy and buy.

Additionally, it is practically necessary to provide good customer service. Any restaurant’s reputation is enhanced through consistency in interactions with consumers, which promotes trust.

The role of Role Freddy Hirsch and Symrise in the growth of Quick Service Restaurants

Interestingly, most of the uniquely African tastes that are found in sauces, marinades, breadings, rice seasonings, pasta seasonings, noodle seasonings, soups and bouillon seasonings are carefully created and preserved by Freddy Hirsch Nigeria and Symrise.

Freddy Hirsch Nigeria and Symrise AG are undoubtedly two of the biggest players in the food and beverage market in Nigeria. Both businesses have been successful in establishing themselves as the major drivers of food and beverage development.

The Freddy Hirsch and Symrise AG partnership is a marriage between a leading West African flavor manufacturer with local insights and a key player in the global flavor market, respectively. Together, we can deliver effective solutions and improve taste perception that helps QSR operators to differentiate their offerings, create new innovative food options with consistent flavors, and enhance profitability. Our collaboration also helps to ensure deep market penetration in West Africa and harnesses our joint flavor technology platforms to deliver authentic African flavors and enhancers.

Freddy Hirsch provides customizable seasoning and savory solutions, for QSRs, buoyed by its team of expert food scientists. Freddy Hirsch has also invested in a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, Research, Development, and Application laboratory and extensive networks that enable it to derive authentic insights from customers, understand consumer trends and meet the unique taste preferences of the regional market and develop robust and competitive QSR solutions in culinary, bakery, confectionery, and dairy. These solutions are boullion seasoning (curry powder, chicken seasoning, beef classic, seafood seasoning); desserts and bakery (Bread, cake, and doughnut premixes); marinades (Spicy chicken marinade, Barbeque marinade, shawarma marinade); breadings (suya breading and chilli breading, jollof breading); burger spices  (chicken and beef seasoning) and Pie filling (chicken, beef and seafood seasoning).

At our flavor manufacturing facility, we strive to provide the highest quality customizable seasoning and savory solutions to our quick-service restaurant customers. To ensure that we deliver the highest quality products, we source the best raw materials from reliable and trustworthy suppliers.

We have a wide network of suppliers that are certified and meet our strict quality standards. We also have our own quality assurance team that inspects and tests all incoming raw materials to ensure that they meet our strict quality requirements. We also use advanced technologies to detect any impurities or contaminants that could affect the quality of the finished product.

Freddy Hirsch is committed to providing QSRs with a variety of advantages that can help them attract and retain customers, such as customization (custom-made flavors that can be tailored to specifications and preferences); innovation (research and new flavor development); health and well-being (high quality, good-for-you products that are both delicious and nutritious); and simplicity (easy-to-use solutions). We also ensure that customers enjoy a multisensorial experience (creating unique and memorable experiences that are convenient, safe, and of high quality.

Freddy Hirsch’s seasonings serve as a building block for these operators and the entire retail value chain, with implications on cost, speed to market, delivery, consumer preferences, and profitability. African cuisine continues to quest for authenticity, with consumers looking for unique tastes, created from the complexity of naturally sourced local herbs and spices that produce intense flavors.

Food enhancers: A ‘glocal’ overview

Food enhancers are basically additives that play a major role in elevating the taste experience of consumers. Enhancers are prepared to be concentrated to add an extra dimension to food by intensifying its flavor.

Another importance of food enhancers is that they help preserve the flavor of perishable foods, as they tend to gradually lose flavor due to processing and preserving. Changing the taste of existing food and beverage products and creating a new food or beverage product is usually made easier with food enhancers.

In the past few years, the global flavor enhancer market has witnessed steady growth. The market can be categorized by type, form, and application.

Based on type, the global flavor enhancer market is categorized into glutamates, acidulants, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extracts, and others (sweetness enhancers and nucleotides).

Glutamates are largely used as flavor enhancers to improve the umami taste in savory foods. By form, the market has been bifurcated into powder, liquid, and semi-liquid. Powdered flavor enhancers account for the largest share of the market. By application, the market is divided into processed & convenience foods, beverages, meat & fish products, and others (bakery, dairy, confectionery products, and condiments). The processed & convenience foods segment accounted for the highest market share in 2016.

According to Allied Market Research, the global flavor market was valued at $12.71 billion, with the Asia-Pacific region being the largest revenue contributor and having the fastest-growing food flavor and enhancer market.

Markets and Markets research estimates the value of the global flavor enhancer market at $7.75 billion. The market growth in the Asia-Pacific region was mainly driven by the growth of the food and beverage industry in major Asian economies such as China and India. The US, China, Germany, and the UK have been identified as top consumers of flavors and enhancers.

Africa’s food flavor and enhancer market can be classified into 3 parts, namely by type, application, and geography. Furthermore, flavors by type are categorized into natural flavors, synthetic flavors, natural identical flavors, and enhancers. Flavor by application is categorized into bakery & confectionery (savory , beverages, and dairy products). Synthetic flavors dominated the flavor market in 2020 and are expected to continue leading the pack in the coming year.

The increasing use of synthetic flavors in juices and aerated drinks is driving the growth of the synthetic flavor segment.

Based on flavor by application, the bakery & confectionery segment led the pack in 2020, and this performance is expected to extend into the coming years. By geography, the African food flavor and enhancer market spans South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

The African food flavor and enhancer market in 2021, as reported by Global Market Insights (GMI), was valued at $0.42 billion, which is less than 1% of the global market. This means that Africa still has enough space for growth. Synthetic flavor was valued at $0.25 billion, accounting for 59.5% of the total market, while natural flavor was valued at $0.17 billion, accounting for 40.5% of the total market share.

The modernization of consumer taste and nutritional needs has made food and beverage makers focus on providing high-quality products with unique flavors. Also, the growing awareness of the need to eat healthily has prompted food and beverage manufacturers to provide healthy meals, enhancing them with high-quality enhancers to provide memorable top-notch flavor and taste for their consumers.

Many food and beverage makers have added products with natural flavors to their product line as some consumers frown at synthetic flavors due to their health implications. Natural flavors are pure extracts of raw produce that are free from gluten and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, natural flavors are less stable, so hence products with natural flavors have a reduced shelf life.

The African food flavor and enhancer market has continued to attract foreign investors, who want to grow their global presence and reach while supporting the growth of the African food and beverage industry.

Their presence has increased competition within the flavor and enhancer market. Major foreign players in the African food flavor and enhancer market are Symrise AG, Sensient Technologies Corporation, Givaudan, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), and Kerry Group, amongst others.

The major challenge faced in Africa’s flavor and enhancer market is the inability of global houses to design flavors for Africa due to a lack of consumer insights. Unfortunately, most flavor houses, especially the non-local companies do not have boots on the ground to understand the flavor market in Africa and have to develop solutions based on secondary research.

Drivers for the growth of Africa’s Food Enhancers Industry

There are specific components driving the growth of Africa’s food enhancer industry and there are:

1. Rising urbanization:

The growing relocation to urban areas has led to an increase in income and a significant growth in the middle class. Urban consumers require high-quality food; thus, this provides a growth boost for the food enhancer sector.

There is a growing demand for convenience and ready-to-eat food: A rising working population and busy schedules have led to an increasing demand for quick and ready-to-eat meals, thus leading to the growing consumption of processed foods. Increased consumption of processed foods has bolstered growth in the food enhancer market.

2. Evolving tastes and preferences of consumers:

The growing health awareness has led to increasing demand for organic and fortified meals. Organic meals have strictly natural flavors and enhancers, while fortified meals have micronutrients added to them to improve their nutritional composition. Consumers are becoming more conscious of what they put into their bodies.

This preference has created a market for food and beverage companies that can produce organic and fortified meals while still catering to the taste buds of the consumer.

3. A booming tourism and hospitality sector:

Africa has beautiful natural scenery and it serves as a sight attraction for tourists. A booming tourism industry translates to a booming hospitality sector, which has a spillover effect on the food and beverage industry. In a bid to further showcase African culture through food in a modernized way, food enhancers are utilized. This also drives the growth of the market higher.

4. Increasing demand for new flavors:

Increasing demand for new and innovative flavors opens new frontiers for food and beverage makers, thus driving the growth of the food flavor and enhancer sector.

The African food enhancer market has grown to become appealing to international players: Foreign investors have continued to invest in the market to grow their global footprint while simultaneously supporting the growth of the African industry.

For example, Symrise AG, a German firm, also set up application labs in Nigeria, and has partnered with a West African flavor manufacturer, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria. Other operators such as International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., an American company, are following suit by established a facility in South Africa.

5. Technology adoption:

This has made it possible to meet the ever-evolving taste and nutritional demands of consumers.

The use of advanced technologies helps to achieve the goal of creating cutting-edge and novel tastes in food and drinks while also meeting the nutritional requirements of consumers. The heavy investment in research and development (R&D) activities are supporting the growth of the sector.

Understanding African enhancers with a case study of Umami taste

Understanding where sources of free glutamic acid, 5-inosinate, and 5-guanylate reside in various foods is key to maximizing flavor potential. Since time immemorial, food professionals have been harnessing the power of umami-rich foods such as MSG to create dishes that excite one of the five fundamental tastes and produce deep, rich flavor profiles.

The difference today is that people are the beneficiaries of a greater scientific understanding of umami and its specific role in flavor development.

The fifth taste, called umami, has naturally existed in African dishes. They add a natural meaty taste to a dish. Umami is the taste quality associated with several amino acids, especially the amino acid L-glutamate. High levels of glutamate are present in many protein-rich foods, including meats and cheeses, and vegetables such as mushrooms, peas, and tomatoes.

Glutamic acid occurs naturally in foods. African mushrooms have demonstrated flavor-enhancing properties, particularly when combined with ground meat.

It turns out to even double the impact of umami. In addition to this, mushrooms add an earthiness to food, creating a deep, savory tone that is pleasing to the consumer. Roasted mushrooms intensify flavors and provide consistency to food.

Crayfish and stockfish are the most popular and are used in most soups. They also elicit a unique umami taste in foods. Today, we have seen it being used in Jollof and other non-fish cuisines to create a yummy taste.

The umami synergy is intensified by cooking, either by smoking or roasting. These cooking techniques further breakdown the amino acids, boosting the umami taste even more.

Fermentation is an important way to process and preserve fish. It also gives a unique flavor that boosts the overall flavor of dishes. Most fermentation techniques include salting and drying.

In Ghana, we have a lanhouin-like fermented fish called Momoni. It yields a strong aromatic compound and is used in soups, especially palava (spinach sauce) and egg sauces.

Natural fermentation creates other forms of products that add uniqueness to food. Certain protein fermentations are responsible for degrading the protein amino acids. When fermented, locust bean undergoes protein degradation, resulting in the production of these natural enhancers (free amino acids), which are used in the majority of African soups and sauces. The flavor released is related to the time and temperature of the fermentation—producing a mild to pungent flavor elevation. The various degrees of fermented locust bean include:

• Iru were (Slightly fermented) – Used in Okra soup, Vegetable soup (Mostly Yorubas use this)
• Iru Pete (More fermented than iru were) – Used in Ewedu -Jute soup (Mostly Yorubas also)
• Ogiri (Most fermented) – Used in Ofe onugbu, and most Igbo soups
• Dawadawa (Very fermented) – Used in soups like Egusi soups, bitter leaf soup, and alefu.
• Okpei (Very fermented different shape to dawadawa) – Used in Igbo soups (Egusi, Oil bean soup)

From Nigeria to Senegal, locust bean is commonly used to flavor soups and stews, and it is known as Iru (Yoruba), Dadawa (Hausa), Ogiri (Igbo), or soumbala (Ivory Coast or Benin).

In Senegal, it is known as Oul (beans) and Netetu.In Africa, it is known as the magic tree owing to its enormous health benefits as it is effective against diabetes, hypertension, anemia, and malnutrition. In some cases, the seeds can be brewed and served as an alternative to coffee. It is highly versatile.

Growing up in Ghana, my mother would put prekese (Tetra pleura tetraptera, commonly called Aiden fruit) in soups. It is called Prekese in Ghana, an indigenous fruit tree with medicinal and nutritional properties. Aidan fruit powder is a sweet spice that delivers authenticity in West African soups (pepper soup and palm nut soup). African cooking techniques deliver a natural enhancing characteristic. For instance, my mother will use broth from boiling chicken or beef as the main liquid for soups, stews, and sometimes cooking rice and this significantly improved the taste of her soups and stews. Tomatoes are another common ingredient used in most African dishes. It is highly rich in amino acids, which impart the umami taste. Fresh, ripe, and cooked tomato profiles provide complexity and richness to food.

This summer, I made Ghanaian chicken stew for my daughters, and this time I decided to add mushroom broth in preparation.

After tasting my delicious meal, my daughter, Karis, praised me as the best cook, owing to the glutamate in the mushroom, which enhanced the overall food.

African consumers want products that have a great and full-bodied taste as well as nutritional value.

The richness and complexity of umami can also be delivered using natural African enhancers. From a nutrition standpoint, it can also rebalance the flavor of products containing less sodium.

Validating the Freddy Hirsch/Symrise partnership

The Freddy Hirsch and Symrise Partnership has been able to create natural taste enhancers that fit the African market. They have a deep understanding of ‘deliciousness’ with umami solutions that can suit any need. From regulatory, labelling, cost, taste, and price, they can support efforts to offer that rich taste consumers crave. Our umami technology enhances the flavor of African foods by improving mouth feel, masking off notes, and balancing the overall taste experience.

The Freddy Hirsch and Symrise AG partnership is a marriage between a leading West African flavor manufacturer with local insights and a key player in the global flavor market, respectively.

Together, we are able to deliver effective solutions and improve taste perception through enhanced salivating properties in West Africa Foods.

In addition, our collaboration will improve food innovation and ensure deep market penetration in West Africa and harness our joint flavor technology platforms to deliver authentic African flavors and enhancers.

African enhancers for a global audience

The ever-increasing African population, widespread modernization, and consumers’ dynamic eating habits provide ample room for growth in the African food and beverage industry, with a positive ripple effect on the food flavor and enhancer sector.

Allied Market Research projects the growth of the global flavor market to reach $19.2 billion by the end of 2030 with a CAGR of 3.6%.

Markets and Markets research projects the global flavor enhancer market to grow by a CAGR of 5.6% to sit at $8.18 billion at the end of 2022.

The Asia-Pacific region has also been projected to make the largest contribution to the growth of the global flavor market, with synthetic flavors and the bakery and confectionary segments leading the pack throughout the forecast horizon.

On the local front, GMI projects the growth of the African food flavor and enhancer market to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% to settle at $0.59 billion at the end of 2028.

The stage is set for African flavor and enhancer players to become significant in the global flavor market. Africa has a role to play in propelling the growth of the global flavor and enhancer market.

What better way than to create and develop local enhancers into commercial quantities that will add depth to food? Players in the African food flavor and enhancer market should take advantage of the market’s growth potential, striving to be the largest contributor of revenue to the global flavor market.

Together, the companies intend on boosting food innovation and nutrition in Africa with the development, launch, and commercialization of transformational food products. This specifically relates to general seasoning, bouillon meat, snacks, and instant noodles.

To implement this, both companies have invested in research, development, and application laboratories and a manufacturing facility in Nigeria.

The plant works with state-of-the-art quality management systems. Local experts develop flavors for various application areas, especially savory foods, sweet applications, and beverages tailored to the African market.

The Regional Food Economy in Africa represents the biggest employer in Africa. According to forecasts, they will reach USD 480b in 2030.

Cumulated with the growing projected population of three billion by 2050, this presents a large market for food and nutrition globally.

It provides an opportunity for industry players to deliver authentic regional and hyperlocal flavors and ingredients.

At the same time, increasing challenges exist to guarantee food security, across the world and especially in Africa.

The partnership between Symrise and Freddy Hirsch Nigeria intends to address this situation. It will enable them to focus on boosting food innovation and nutrition in Africa by developing, launching, and commercializing transformational food products. Specifically, this relates to general seasoning, bouillon meat, snacks, and instant noodles.

The partnership combines the strengths of Symrise and Freddy Hirsch Nigeria. It enables them to deliver deeper access to valuable insights about Africa’s food industry, and platforms to innovate for the industry.

By partnering, both companies intend to become local leaders in food innovation. The joint offering aims at bridging the gap between traditional ways of cooking and commercially viable products retaining the authentic African culture while adapting to current food requirements.

Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Director, Flavor, Africa Middle East at Symrise said “Together, we have become stronger than ever. We have committed to co-create with Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, combining the best of our strengths and leveraging our strong global footprint with our winning local flexibility, market, and consumer understanding”.

In his comments, Kojo Brifo the Managing Director of Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said “To achieve our vision of creating authentic African flavors and tastes, we have invested in a research, development, and application laboratory and a manufacturing facility with world-class quality management systems, in West Africa, Nigeria. Our partnership with Symrise AG provides an acceleration of flavor development across West Africa. it will increase the creativity of customized flavors, help our customers attain speed to market, and enhance their operational agility.”

Together, Symrise AG and Freddy Hirsch Nigeria have successfully positioned themselves as the leading contributors to the evolution of the food and beverage industry in West Africa and the Middle East.

• Addressing country- and tribe-specific tastes by understanding the local market at the native level
• Joint delivery of authentic regional and hyperlocal African flavors and ingredients

It allows the partners to tap into the pulse and valuable insights from African customers, to meet the unique taste preferences of the regional market, and develop competitive solutions in culinary, bakery, confectionery, and dairy.

Every African country knows several examples of hyperlocal flavors. Jollof rice enjoys the greatest popularity as a dish. Through its culinary insights, Symrise and Freddy Hirsch have identified that each country’s jollof rice comes with a unique flavor note.

The product developers have been able to create specific raw-ingredient based flavor notes for each region. A prime example relates to how in Nigeria, people enhance the jollof flavor by a unique smokey note, captured in the famous ‘party jollof’.

In Ghana, on the other hand, the cooked tomato note provides a balance to the jollof rice.

Other similar flavors with localized notes include the African Basil/scent leaf, an aromatic herb native to West Africa.

The flowers and the leaves of this herb contain a high amount of essential oils and add fragrant flavor to soups, salads, and other local dishes.

It serves as a multipurpose and versatile flavor with applications across culinary, medicinal, preservatives and perfumes.

In Africa, people know and treasure it under various names: Effirin (Yoruba Tribe); Nchanwu or Ahuji (Igbo Tribe); Daidoya (Hausa Tribe) and Nunum (Ghana).

To achieve their vision of innovating authentic African flavors and tastes, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria and Symrise have invested in research, development, and application laboratories and a manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art quality management systems. In Nigeria, experts develop flavors for various application areas.

They have specialized in savory foods, sweet applications, and beverages tailored to the African market. Because partners act locally, they can tap into the pulse and gain valuable insights from their customers. Also, they can meet the unique taste preferences of the regional market and develop competitive solutions in culinary, bakery, confectionery, and dairy.

These capabilities allow them to develop regional and truly hyperlocal flavors and ingredients for the African markets.

Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Director, Flavor, Africa Middle East at Symrise says “We can deliver even greater speed to market in Africa. This strategic partnership with Freddy Hirsch Nigeria will give us deeper access to valuable insights about Africa’s food industry.”

In his comments, Kojo Brifo, the Managing Director of Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said “Our partnership with Symrise provides an acceleration of flavor development across West Africa and will increase the creativity of customized flavors, help our customers attain speed to market, and enhance their operational agility.”