Nestlé Nigeria is helping more rural women in Nigeria build financial security and improve their standard of living with the launch of the fourth phase of the Nestlé
Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Project in Port Harcourt recently.
An additional 50 beneficiaries from the South South region of the country, selected
from the company’s value chain, were inducted into the program at a ceremony that included several training sessions.
At the training and induction session in Port Harcourt, Nestlé Nigeria’s Commercial
Manager, Mr. Khaled Ramadan said, “We are happy to fulfil our promise of
expanding Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Project to reach more
women in other parts of Nigeria. We are pleased with the progress made so far by
the 150 currently benefiting from the project. The beneficiaries who currently enjoy the training and mentorship provided by Nestlé and her implementation partners –FDConsults, are reporting faster turnover and increased revenue as well as stronger
visibility of their outlets within their locations. We are therefore confident that these additional 50 selected retailers in South South, will also reap the full benefits of the support we are providing through training, mentorship and grants.”
The beneficiaries comprising female retailers in Nestlé’s value chain, will receive
grants valued at 300% of their monthly sales in form of Nestlé’s products. They will also participate in training and mentorship programs which will enable them scale up their businesses, thereby increasing their household incomes.
In his remarks at the induction and training for the new beneficiaries, Mr. Phranklin
Audu, Head, Partnerships & Training at FDConsults said, “The Nestlé Empowering
Rural Women project is such an amazing initiative. The progress and growth
recorded by the women in the several states where the project is already ongoing is quite refreshing to see. We are talking about visible growth. Grade-C retailers are
moving up the distribution ladder and more importantly these women are doing
more sales turnovers thereby earning higher incomes for themselves. We must
commend the visioners of this project and the entire project team for staying true to
cause”.
One of the beneficiaries Mrs. Joyce Nwaiwo, expressing her gratitude to Nestlé
said, “I feel so happy about this opportunity. I still cannot believe that this is true,
because it is just like a dream. I want to say a big thank you to Nestlé.”
The Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Project is designed to help rural
women retailers scale up their businesses and sustain the new level of up to three
times the size of their existing businesses. It is one of the Creating Shared Value
initiatives that Nestlé deploys to help build thriving communities by improving
livelihoods.
The training and mentorship elements of the project are provided by FDConsults
who has a track record of helping rural dwellers access information and skills to
improve their standard of living. Each beneficiary retailer is linked to a mentor for
one-on-one guidance and consistent support over three months to ensure their
success.
The project started in August 2021, in North Central Nigeria, with the induction of
the first 50 women beneficiaries into the project from the suburbs of Abuja. In
November of last year, the project moved to the South West and added an
additional 50 beneficiaries, selected from the axis of Oshogbo, Ede and Ilesha in
Osun State. In February of this year, the South East benefited with 50 inductees
from the Nsukka and Obolo-Afo axis of Enugu State.
With the additional 50 recently inducted into the project in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, 200 women have so far been reached under the program. The program aims to reach 300 women across the country before the end of 2022.
