By Chikamara Roseline
For years now Nestle Nigeria has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to community development through various sustainable activities impacting a lot of lives across the country. As number one in the food and beverage company, Nestle Nigeria has prioritized corporate social responsibility, focusing on education, health, welfare,water , and environmental benefits.
Community Development Initiatives,the cocoa plan was launched in 2011 and it was aimed at improving the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities. They have also trained over 10,000 cocoa farmers on sustainable cocoa production in the last two years with distribution of over 300,000 high-yielding cocoa seedlings. They have also established 20 cocoa sustainability centres.
In the area of water initiative, the company has provided clean water access to rural communities.by constructing 15 water facilities benefiting 50,000 people while partnering with NGOs to maintain existing water infrastructure.
In the area of health among children, the Nestle healthy kids initiative program was established to promote nutrition education and physical activities. Through workshops and events, 100,000 school children were reached.. It partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education, nutrition education was integrated into school curricula.
They also established, The Nestle Employee volunteer program which saw Employees participating in community service. They conducted health screenings and donated medical supplies. Through book donations and infrastructure upgrades, they supported education.
Many community development projects were carried out to address local needs like building of roads, bridges and community centers. Women’s empowerment programs support was not left out.
Sequel to all the community initiatives, Nestle Nigeria has earned recommendations from Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERA): Winner,”Best company sustainability”(2022). Nigeria CSR Awards, Winner,”Best CSR company in Agriculture”(2022). United Nations Development Programme(UNDP): partnered to support SDG implementation.
Several stakeholders as a result of these initiatives by Nestle have applauded their efforts; Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president, African Development Bank said,”Nestle Nigeria’s commitment to community development is inspiring. Their initiatives have improved lives and livelihood”. Also, Mrs Aisha Buhari, former First Lady, Federal Republic of Nigeria said,”We appreciate Nestle’s support in providing clean water and promoting healthy habits”.
In conclusion, Nestle Nigeria’s community development initiatives demonstrate it’s dedication to creating shared value and contributing to the United Nation’s sustainable Development Goals. By addressing pressing social and environmental issues, Nestle Nigeria sets a benchmark for corporate social responsibility in Nigeria.
According to Mauricio Alarcon ,MD Nestle Nigeria, “At Nestle Nigeria, we believe that community development is integral to our business success. We’re committed to creating shared value for our business and the communities we serve”.
