Nestlé Nigeria: Turning the gift of water into a lifeline for communities

Nestle Nigeria

By Felicia Nwosu

Water, they say, is life; and those who help make safe water accessible to others do more than meet a basic human need. Importantly, they help protect lives, preserve dignity and give communities a stronger foundation for the future.

For millions of people whose daily routines revolve around finding water they can safely drink, cook with and use to maintain personal hygiene, access to a dependable supply can mean the difference between vulnerability and well-being.

For years, Nestlé Nigeria has pursued water stewardship as part of its corporate responsibility, improving access to potable water in communities around its operations through community water projects, school-based sanitation facilities and public awareness initiatives. These interventions connect environmental sustainability with public health, extending the benefits of responsible water management beyond the company’s factory gates.

Across Nigeria, however, the challenge extends beyond water availability to quality, reliable infrastructure and the knowledge required to prevent contamination. The reported estimate that more than 113 million Nigerians lack access to safe drinking water gives the crisis a sobering human dimension, reflecting the risks faced by households, schoolchildren and communities whose health and livelihoods depend on a safe, dependable supply.

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Against this backdrop, Nestlé Nigeria’s Water Regeneration Project seeks to address community needs through interventions in Agbara, Ogun State, and Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Across the two catchments, the project targets the regeneration of approximately 400,000 cubic metres of water annually: 130,000 cubic metres for eight communities in Agbara and 270,000 cubic metres for 16 communities in Abaji.

With this, the programme combines 24 climate-smart boreholes, across locations, which indlude: eight in Agbara and 16 in Abaji. Aside these, it comes with with treatment plants, rainwater harvesting systems and community governance structures. Its four pillars, Water Access, Water Quality, Water Conservation and Water Governance, address the interconnected requirements of sustainable water management.

So, while boreholes expand access and treatment plants help safeguard quality, rainwater harvesting supports conservation. Community water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) committees, supported by governance training, are expected to oversee safe operation, preventive maintenance, fault reporting and water quality checks. Again, this framework recognises that the value of infrastructure depends on its continued functionality, effective monitoring and community ownership.

Remarkably, Nestlé Nigeria marked a major milestone with the commissioning of eight climate-smart boreholes and water treatment plants in the Agbara catchment. Olutayo Olatunji, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Waters and Premium Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, described the development as part of the company’s commitment to regenerating local water cycles.

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“By combining treated water infrastructure with local governance and performance monitoring, we are creating a model that improves access, strengthens watershed resilience and delivers enduring value,” Olatunji said, noting that the company remained focused on measurable community benefits and business continuity.

Government representatives also stressed the importance of sustaining the facilities beyond commissioning. The Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, said the true measure of success was the continued provision of safe, reliable water. He welcomed the project’s emphasis on governance training and water stewardship.

Similarly, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, described the intervention as an example of effective public-private collaboration, noting its alignment with Nigeria’s environmental priorities and Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

For Agbara’s residents, the project carries a responsibility that extends beyond receiving new facilities. Welcoming the intervention, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Lukman Jayeola Agunbiade, Olute III, the Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom, linked safe water to children’s health, household dignity and family well-being.

He urged traditional leaders, Baales, WASH committees and residents to protect the facilities, prevent misuse and report faults promptly, stressing the importance of preserving the investment for future generations.

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Beyond infrastructure, Nestlé Nigeria has supported efforts to strengthen public understanding of water safety through the National Water Quality Advocacy Campaign and the National Water Quality Advocacy Handbook, developed with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Organised Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH).

The initiative seeks to extend practical guidance on water treatment, handling and storage to households, schools, communities and institutions. Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, explained that safe water requires both access and responsible management. “Access alone is not enough. Water must be safe, it must be protected, and communities must have the knowledge to manage it responsibly.”

Moreso, the company’s school-based interventions further demonstrate the social relevance of water access. In 2023, Nestlé Nigeria completed water and sanitation facilities at Wesley School 2 in Sagamu and Local Government Primary School in Ketu Adie Ovie, Ado-Odo/Ota, both in Ogun State. The facilities were designed to provide more than 930 learners and teachers with clean drinking water and improved sanitation.

Across its wider community programme, the company has reported constructing 16 new WASH facilities within three years and providing more than 14 million litres of potable water annually to host communities in Ogun State and the FCT.

Meanwhile, for schoolchildren, functional water and sanitation facilities support hygiene and healthier learning environments; for households, dependable supplies can reduce exposure to unsafe sources. Sustaining these benefits requires continued maintenance and water quality monitoring.

Nestlé Nigeria’s water initiatives form part of a broader shared-value approach linking business activities with community livelihoods, health and environmental responsibility. At the 2023 Advancing Health, Nutrition and Environmental Awareness Programme, organised with the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre, Uwadoka highlighted collaboration as a means of improving livelihoods and promoting responsible environmental practices. She also urged the media to strengthen public education on social and behavioural change, environmental protection and responsible plastic disposal.

Over the years, Nestle has come to understand that, nevertheless, the true measure of water stewardship extends beyond commissioned boreholes and announced targets. Indeed, through its commitments, it has proven that it rests on verifiable outcomes, and these include sustained water availability, reliable quality, functioning facilities, transparent reporting and demonstrable community benefits. The distinction is important because regeneration targets, potable water delivery and improved access represent different outcomes and should be assessed accordingly.

As the Abaji sites are completed and handed over, Nestlé Nigeria has stated that it will maintain its focus on disciplined delivery, transparent validation and local ownership. Evidence of facility performance, water quality and maintenance over time will help establish the programme’s lasting contribution.

For Nigeria, where water and sanitation challenges remain substantial, collaboration among government, businesses, regulators and communities is essential. No single organisation can resolve the crisis alone, but initiatives combining infrastructure, conservation, public education and effective governance can contribute to meaningful progress.

Nestlé Nigeria’s Water Regeneration Project therefore connects corporate responsibility with a fundamental public need. Its significance lies not only in the boreholes commissioned or the volume of water targeted for regeneration, but in the potential to strengthen community access, protect shared water resources and promote responsible stewardship.

Water may be a natural resource, but making it safe and consistently accessible requires investment, knowledge, conservation and accountability. For the communities these initiatives are intended to serve, success will ultimately depend on whether the water remains safe, the facilities continue to function and the benefits endure. That is where water stewardship proves its worth: in the lives it protects, the dignity it preserves and the healthier future it helps communities build.