Nestle Nigeria collaborates government on provision of potable, hygienic water to rural communities

The Nestle Nigeria has collaborated with government for provision of potable and hygienic water to rural communities across the country, with the first phase scheduled to start from Ogun State and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Penpushing reports that Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs of Nestle Nigeria PLC, Victoria Uwadoka made this known on Monday at the take-off of three weeks course on advancing nutrition, health and environmental awareness for media executives

The company spokesperson at the virtual meeting explained that the commencement of the projects in Ogun State and Abuja, was considered because the factories of the organization are located there, assuring that same will be extended to other part of the country in due course.

Penpushing further reports that Uwadoka disclosed that Nestle Nigeria has already launched about 16 water projects in some communities, adding that the projects would involve expanding water infrastructures in the affected areas.

The Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs the company will equally embark on sensitizing the people through awareness campaigns on environmental sanitation and safety, which she said are key in ensuring clean water.

‘We are starting from there. That doesn’t mean that that’s where it’s going to end. We have done some works in those areas already over the past three years, I think we’ve launched about 16 water projects already in those communities’, Uwadoka said.

‘It’s not just about sinking a borehole. Providing water for a particular environment, you need to go a little further to reach other communities as well. So, we’re expanding. We’re expanding our reach with the new project that we’re working on. We’re starting in Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory. We’re taking it step by step, but we’re starting with these two areas where we have two of our factories sited’, she stated.

“And part of what we’re going to do, there’s going to be a nationwide campaign on awareness around water safety. Water Safety, that’s something that we don’t think a lot about. And then, because we’re also collaborating with the government, all we’re trying to do is to recruit other corporates within our network. The problem is huge, and we have to bring as many people on board as possible to help to address it as quickly as we can”, Uwadoka emphasised.

Penpushing also reports that Uwadoka on the the operations of the company in Nigeria, explained that it has ensured that 80 percent of its raw materials were sourced locally as well as  working to increase it to 90 percent.

The company image maker pointed out that the remaining 20 percent which were imported involved supplements, stressing that the company has deliberately engaged Nigerian women in their operations thereby empowering them economically.

“On average, across all the sectors of the agricultural value chain, there are about 24% women now, when it comes to the distributors of our products, I think we have about a little about 30% of women involved in that part of our value”, she said.

Penpushing reports that at the opening session the Lead Facilitator, Oreva Atanya gave an overview of the programme and urged the participants on need for active participation with commitment in attendance, and need to take the course seriously so that the objectives would be achieved.

‘The programme is broken into two parts. You have an online module that runs for two weeks, which starts today (19th August 2024), and a three-day in-person learning session that includes workshops at the LBS campus, and also one day where we will go outside of the classroom on an experiential tour’, she stated

‘The modules we will cover have different topics, but they can be summarized into these six, from basic concepts of nutrition, health and sustainability, solutions, journalism, climate impacts, food security, reporting on nutrition, health and environment, corporate action on nutrition and food security and leading solutions-focused journalism”, Atanya added.

‘The LBS Sustainability Center team was set up by the current dean of the school, Professor Chris Ogbechie, and the objective was to remind businesses to engage a lot more businesses about their responsibility on both the social and environmental aspects of their business and working with different companies across the continent’, she added.

‘In our engagement with Nestle, in particular, we found a joint objective, a joint mission in terms of looking for ways to improve both awareness, knowledge, and behavior around specifically things that have to do with nutrition and because it connects in a very special and specific way to health outcomes’.

‘So, the purpose of Nestle, as you may know, is to unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for people and for generations for LBS, we are a Graduate School of Management, meaning that we teach in the discipline of Management Sciences, from operations, strategy, finance, everything about management, and specifically this programme is under our sustainability management discipline”, she explained.

Penpushing further reports that, the Programme Manager at Lagos Business School Sustainability Center Theresa Akpoveso took participants through the program schedule including providing information on preparations for the in-person session and accommodations for participants traveling from out of Lagos state, just as all the facilitators and speakers during the session who will be involved in the programme confirmed their availability and readiness to meet with the participants.

The course which started on Monday was jointly organized by the Lagos Business School in collaboration with Nestle Nigeria and designed for Media Executives to enhance their understanding and reporting on Nutrition, Health, Environment, and other Sustainable Development issues in Nigeria.

Penpushing also reports that the programme themed “Advancing Nutrition Health and Environmental Awareness through the Media”, is scheduled to hold for 3 weeks duration at the Lagos Business School Campus between August 19, 2024 both physically and online by participants

The Advancing Nutrition, Health, and Environmental Awareness through the Media programme was created in response to the need for knowledge and data-supported reportage on sustainability issues in Nigeria’s media.

Penpushing reports that the 2014 United Nations (UN) report predicts that Nigeria will become the third most populous country in the world by 2050, and given this anticipated growth, the sponsors said it is critical to raise awareness and take action on key sustainability issues such as nutrition, food, energy, and water demand.

The organisers added that media has a critical role to play in educating the public, and it is essential that journalists understand these issues and are equipped to communicate about them effectively to diverse stakeholder groups.

‘The programme is a collaborative project between Nestle Nigeria and the LBS Sustainability Centre aimed at enhancing the skills of print, broadcast and online media journalists in effectively communicating nutrition, health, and environmental issues to the public’, the sponsors added.

Penpushing also reports that the organisers assured that the programme is going to be a wonderful learning and networking experience, stressing that participants will be glad they made the choice to attend.

FOOTNOTE: You want to share story with us? You want to advertise with us? You need publicity for product, or service, or   event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348073463653 or email [email protected]