Effiong’s Story: How Nestlé’s Empowerment Programme is Transforming Lives in Rural Calabar

Rebecca Ejifoma

In a thriving economy like Nigeria’s, there is no doubt that retailers form a significant part of the trade. They keep the markets lively daily, provide for their households and drive the nation’s economy in the right direction with their daily sales.

Although these retailers serve as the link between the producers and the consumers, many of them, especially in rural communities, face a common barrier to attain progress and stability; they lack business and financial management skills.

It was this gap that led Nestlé Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading food and beverage manufacturers, to step in with a proactive initiative, “Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Initiative”. This programme is designed to empower women retailers in rural communities with skills that will help them manage and significantly grow their businesses sustainably.

One of the rural communities impacted was Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Calabar, the Cross River State Capital. Akpabuyo is a community where fertile land and rich coastal heritage create a canvas for community-driven transformation. In this community, young women lift woven baskets of cassava and coconut, the elders gather under the shade of old trees to tell old tales and debate about newspaper headlines, and you can often hear the laughter and screams of delighted children echoing across buildings.

So on a bright morning last November 20th, the Akpabuyo community came alive. Dwellers experienced a wave of energy, enthusiasm, and hope. You could see local women including pregnant and nursing mothers and market sellers troop out in their number into the streets, giggling and grinning. The scent of roasting maize, plantain (locally called bole) filled the air as they lined up to participate in the Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Initiative. For some women, their role was to participate, for others, it was either to cheer their friends and neighbours up or witness the transformation in their community. Amid all of the excitement, 50 women retailers were empowered with skills in merchandising, customer service, and bookkeeping, as onlookers cheered on.

Among the beneficiaries is Mrs. Favour Effiong, who runs her own business called Favour Stores. First, she excitedly described her journey with Nestlé as “Very productive”. She was filled with gratitude for her new skills and grants. Effiong commended Nestle’s commitment. “This training and the grant I have received will help my family. I cannot thank Nestlé enough for this investment in my business. Thank you, Nestle,” she added.

Today, Effiong and 49 other retailers in Calabar boast skills in bookkeeping, merchandise, and customer service. These skills, according to research, are essential for financial independence and sustainable growth.

Sustainable financial independence for women entrepreneurs

With research confirming that bookkeeping is crucial for financial management and decision-making, the Assistant Director, Research, Advocacy and Corporate Communications, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), Emmanuel Emeasoba, shares this sentiment.

“Bookkeeping skills are needed to keep records of every business’s financial affairs and keep it running,” he said. “When entrepreneurs lack these skills, their business is at risk, but programmes like Nestlé’s Empowerment Rural Women Program help women in rural Nigeria gain financial independence and make informed decisions.”

Merchandise, customer service impact profit, growth of small businesses

For Emeasoba, good merchandise management and customer service skills directly impact profitability by helping owners identify the right products, sizes, and pricing for their communities. He added that these skills are especially important for small businesses in underserved areas, as meeting specific local needs leads to increased growth and profitability.

In his words: “Good merchandise management and customer service skills help business owners know what products, sizes, and prices best suit their customers. Small shops in vulnerable communities can grow and become more profitable if they pay attention to what their customers really need.”

Economic significance of empowering rural women with business skills

When rural women are empowered with the needed skills to help keep their businesses afloat, the NIM assistant director said they make more profit, their businesses will thrive and they will continue being gainfully engaged. “It is therefore important that rural women in business acquire bookkeeping, merchandise management and customer service skills to have a sustainable and profitable business. At the end of the day if small businesses thrive, local economic development will be impacted positively, there will be poverty reduction and more jobs will be created as the business gets a boost,” he suggested.

Skills, grants worth 300 per cent monthly turnover

With these three quintessential 5skills for business development, these women were also attached to coaches and mentors and received grants in the form of products worth about 300 per cent of their monthly sales turnover.

For Nestle Nigeria, the launch of the project in Calabar, is part of efforts to help communities thrive. This is according to the Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead, Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka who reaffirmed the company’s commitment to contributing to efforts to build thriving communities.

She noted that one of the pillars for achieving this objective is to empower women. Hence, Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Initiative is one of the ways the brand creates shared value, and contributes to the wellbeing of every stakeholder along its value chain while driving business success.

Uwadoka emphasised: “This initiative has already yielded positive results among women in the seven rural communities already reached. We are confident that we will have the same success stories among the 50 women participants from Calabar.”

Sharing Uwadoka’s sentiment, the Commercial Manager, Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Boladale Odunlami, insisted that the rural women empowerment project was created to address a gap.

“When our data showed that women retailers in rural communities were not growing as consistently as others. We partnered with the FDC Consult to train the women, attach them to coaches and mentors and to support them with grants in the form of products worth about 300 per cent of their monthly sales turnover,” says Odunlami.

The commercial manager cited that 85 per cent of the women have maintained the 300 per cent growth, with faster turnover, increased revenue, and stronger visibility of their outlets within their locations.

“This is why we are excited to onboard 50 more women,” expressing confidence that they would take full advantage of the support provided through this programme to transform their businesses and, by extension, their families and their communities.

To witness the transformation among the retailers in their community, the Vice Chairman, Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Chris Effiong; and the Paramount Ruler of Akpabuyo, HRH, Etinyin Francis Edem Efa.

They gave thumbs up to Nestlé for the gesture, and urged beneficiaries to use the grants judiciously to expand their businesses.

Nationwide impact
The Nestlé Empowering Rural Women in Nigeria Project began in August 2021 with 50 female retailers in each phase in Abuja’s suburbs, and states including Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Bauchi, Lagos, Enugu, Cross River and Agbara, Ogun State. It has, therefore, adopted over 400 retail women into the programme since its launch.

Along with grants in the form of Nestlé products valued at three times their monthly sales at the time of enrollment, participants are trained and are given access to consistent mentoring and counseling over three months to help them sustain the lessons learned to ensure their success.

Through this initiative, Nestlé is seamlessly moving the needle, strengthening communities, and contributing to the nation’s economy through retail women empowerment.