Nestlé Nigeria commits to women empowerment, targets rural women
By Oghale Mafuru
In line with its Corporate Social Responsibility, Nestlé Nigeria, a leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods FMCG, company has empowered 150 women as part of plans to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.
The women who were selected from across three geo-political zones of the country namely South-East, South-West, and North- Central are retailers of Nestlé’s product brands whose businesses needed upscaling to optimise sales, are beneficiaries of the company’s empowerment project tagged: “Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria” where beneficiaries are given three times their monthly turnover in form of Nestlé products and access to training and mentorship.
“At Nestlé, we believe that by contributing to the health and wellbeing of our communities, we create shared value for all stakeholders while contributing to the growth of our business. Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project is our way of improving the livelihoods of women in the rural areas by helping them scale their businesses to three times their current volume within three months. Our ambition is to empower 300 of these women who are retailers within our distribution channel” the company stated.
Commenting on the success of the project in helping female retailers in business management and growth, Mr. Khaled Ramadan, Commercial Manager for Nestlé Nigeria, said, “We have received very positive feedback from the first 100 beneficiaries of the program who are based in the suburbs of Abuja and Osogbo. They are reporting faster turnover and increased revenue as well as stronger visibility of their business outlets within their locations. We are therefore confident that our intervention through training, mentorship, and product grants is the right mix for success. By improving the household incomes of these rural women, Nestlé is helping to improve their access to adequate nutrition, proper healthcare, and good quality education for their families”.
On their part, beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme who were elated expressed deep appreciation to Nestlé Nigeria. One of the beneficiaries Mrs. Bashiru Hairat said, “I want to thank Nestlé for doing a lot for my family. I am so happy that I was selected to participate in this program. The grant will increase my business and income which will enable me to improve my standard of living and that of my family.”
Mrs. Clementina Irandi, another beneficiary while commending the company for the efforts to encourage businesswomen, particularly low-income earners, said “I am beyond happy and I do not know how to express myself for being one of the 50 women chosen to participate in this empowerment by Nestlé in Enugu State. The free goods and training we received will be particularly helpful in taking my business to the next level. I thank Nestlé for everything they have done for me and my family”.
The empowerment project which has empowered 150 female retailers from the North Central, South West and southeast geo-political zones is expected to empower 150 more women in the South-South, North West, and North East to reach the 300 targets the company set for the initiative.
Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project is one of the Company’s Creating Shared Value (CSV) initiatives to contribute toward building thriving communities by improving livelihoods.
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