Nestle Nigeria Deepens Grassroots Impact With Women Empowerment Initiative

Nestle Nigeria Plc has deepened its women empowerment initiative, which aims to support women in local communities by providing them with skills, resources, and opportunities to improve their livelihoods and contribute to their communities’ growth.

The Company has expanded its flagship initiative, Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria, to Agbara, Ogun State. This programme, which aims to strengthen small businesses and enhance livelihoods within rural communities, has welcomed 49 new female retailers.

Now in its fifth year, the Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria project has empowered over 382 women across the country, enabling them to expand their businesses by as much as threefold.
Through tailored business training, product grants, and mentorship, the initiative supports women in building more profitable retail ventures, reinforcing Nestle’s commitment to inclusive growth at the community level. With the addition of the 49 new participants from Agbara, the project has now reached a total of 431 women.

The corporate communications, Public Affairs, and Sustainability Lead at Nestle Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, stated, “Nestle Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria is about creating genuine opportunities for women. Supporting rural women to scale their retail operations by up to 300 per cent within just three months is not only beneficial for business but also essential for fostering a more inclusive economy, stronger families, and resilient communities.”

She further emphasised, “We have witnessed the transformative impact of structured training, mentorship, and business grants on the 382 women who have already benefited from this initiative, and we are confident that we will see more success stories emerge from Agbara. Through this initiative, we are not only supporting individual entrepreneurs; we are investing in ripple effects that will benefit the entire community.”

The commercial manager at Nestle Nigeria, Boladale Odunlami, elaborated on the initiative’s purpose, saying, “at Nestle, we are intentional about creating growth opportunities across every segment of our value chain.

“The Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria initiative was launched in 2021 to support women retailers in underserved communities, recognising their critical role in driving local economies. Since its inception, over 380 women have benefited from the program, with more than 85 per cent reporting sustained business expansion.”

Odunlami noted that this edition is particularly special, as the participants were nominated by their communities and will each receive product grants worth N200,000.

On behalf of the Alagbara of Agbara, His Royal Highness Oba Lukman Agunbiade, commended Nestle’s enduring relationship with the community and encouraged the women to seize this opportunity.

“Our community enjoys a peaceful and respectful relationship with Nestlé, which enables us to work together effectively on community-led initiatives like the women empowerment program.

“We are delighted to see the women we have carefully selected from our community benefit from this program, whose impact we have heard about. I urge every woman here today to take full advantage of this training to build something lasting for herself and her family. I assure Nestlé Nigeria of our commitment to co-owning this project, which will further strengthen the long-standing bond with the people of Agbara.”

The women expressed their gratitude and optimism regarding the opportunity. Eniola Fausat, one of the participants, shared her excitement, saying, “This opportunity has opened my eyes to what is possible in my business. With the training and support, I am more confident that I can improve my shop and better support my family.”