UACN—though it has taken on many incarnations throughout its colorful history—was the first company in Nigeria to achieve the conglomerate status of operating many divisions. For example, Pan Electric and G.B. Ollivant sold technical goods and consumer durables. Tractor and Equipment sold the Caterpillar brand of earth-moving equipment. African Timber and Plywood Company (AT&P) supplied home building projects with wood products. Manufacturers Delivery Services (MDS) offered distribution services for manufacturers through its network of warehouses. Name just about any sort of business in Nigeria, and UACN has been there. In fact, Ayo Ajayi, former CEO of UACN, said in 2002, “We taught Nigerians how to trade.”

The story of UACN is also the story of Nigeria—full of complicated shifts of power, acquisitions, losses and complex relationships with West Africa and the West, particularly when it was known as UAC International (UACI), a subsidiary of Unilever. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the early 1990s when, due to developments in the marketplace, UACN was forced to refocus and change direction. This mega-brand’s trading fortunes dipped as consumer behaviors changed, and smaller indigenous companies offered stiff competition. Furthermore, government fiscal policies encouraged the importation and dumping of foreign goods into Nigeria, allowing Unilever and major Western brands greater access to the marketplace.

So UACN downsized and reprioritized its core competencies to food products, distribution and property development (driven by one of its thriving subsidiaries, UACN Properties Plc.). UACN became focused on becoming lean and nimble, shedding four of its seven divisions. Eventually, after years of sluggish sales and sagging profits, UACN’s lean structure began to pay off—eightfold, actually—and revenue was coming in from massive investments in UAC Foods, Manufacturers Delivery Services and Mr. Biggs, a brand that revolutionized the fast-food business in Nigeria. Today the megabrand is still succeeding, with three divisions and stakes in many subsidiaries that make spring water and vegetable oils and specialize in vehicle assembly, chemicals, equipment leasing and property development.

The effective consolidation of the megabrand came with the appointment of Larry Ettah—a 20-year veteran of UACN—as CEO in 2007. Armed with an MBA from the University of Benin, Nigeria, Ettah renewed the drive to realign the group business on foods, logistics and property development. The stated goal was also to sustain growth, optimize operations and tap opportunities that would generate the greatest returns for shareholders.

For example, Ettah reorganized the food business structure from being comprised of UAC Foods, Menu Masters and Mr. Biggs to featuring UAC Foods, UAC Dairies, UAC Franchising and UAC Restaurants—a move that restructured and streamlined that category’s operational paradigms. The UAC Franchising division, for instance, manages the franchising relationships of licensed international brands Innscor Foods in Zimbabwe, Nandos in South Africa and the franchise operations of Mr. Biggs. Ettah has also been able to reposition the company’s offerings to specialty niches by creating new product lines for evolving purchasing patterns and lifestyles of customers.

To advance its goal of becoming a global player, UACN has rebranded with a new logo and established subsidiaries in Ghana and other West African countries. Ettah explains that the rebranding is built around the company’s current focus on consumer food business. The “refreshed globe logo” is fun, optimistic, youthful and characterizes an “agile entrepreneurial organization that is audacious, compelling and muscular.”

With such an intricate past and promising future, UACN appears poised to continue to play a major role not just in Nigeria, but in an expanding demographic of consumers throughout Africa and beyond.

Eric Okeke is a storytelling consultant, author, editor, and a leading strategist in brand marketing and mobilizing support for corporate/social issues.