Nestlé Nigeria: Empowering Rural Women Project Moves to South East

In August 2021, Nestlé Nigeria launched “Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in 
Nigeria project” which aims to help rural women retailers within the company’s 
value chain scale up their businesses to increase their household incomes. The 
program was recently launched in Nsukka and Obolo-Afor, both in Enugu State 
to reach an additional 50 women retailers. This brings the number of  beneficiaries to 150. 

“Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project” is designed to equip 
female distributors at the end of the pyramid to scale up to three times the size 
of their existing business over 3 months and to sustain the new level.
Speaking on Nestlé’s contributions to empowering women within her value 
chain, Mr. Khaled Ramadan, Commercial Manager for Nestlé Nigeria, said,
“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 its current volume within 
three months. Our ambition is to empower 300 of these women who are 
retailers within our distribution channel.” 

“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 are a right mix for success.

By improving the household incomes of the rural women, Nestlé is helping to improve their access to adequate nutrition, good healthcare and good quality education for their families.”
The beneficiaries of “Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project” receive grants by way of Nestlé products valued at 300% of their current monthly sales. They also participate in training and mentorship programs which equip them with the requisite skills to scale up and sustain their businesses. These programs are delivered by the implementation partner, FDConsults which also works with each retailer over 3 months post training to help them succeed. Each beneficiary retailer is linked to a one-on-one mentor for guidance and consistent support.

Speaking on the outcome of the program so far, Mr. Phranklin Audu, Lead Trainer & Head of Partnerships at FDConsults , said, “It is a delight for me to see the progress already made by the beneficiaries of “Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project.” The reports of increase in turnover and profit are very encouraging. Following the successful implementation of the first and second phases, I am happy that 50 more women are joining the program today.

FDConsults is privileged to be a part of this success story and remains focused
on helping each beneficiary attain her highest potential. I encourage each
participant here today to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to grow her business.”

FDConsults has a track record of helping rural dwellers access information and
skills to improve their standards of living.