Nestlé Nigeria received the Best company in Food Security and the Partnership Award of the year for its partnership with IDH and Technoserve towards grain improvement at the recently held Sustainability Enterprise and Responsibility (SERAS) CSR Awards Africa 2021.
This is the second year that Nestlé Nigeria has been recognized as the Best company in Food Security, a significant affirmation for the world’s leading food company. Nestlé was also nominated in over 7 categories including Best Company in Circular Economy, Best Company in Education Intervention, Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement, Best Company in Promotion of Good-Health & Wellbeing, Best Company in WorkPlace Practice, and the CEO of the Year.
The Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, expressed the company’s delight at being recognised for its efforts in Creating Shared Value across its value chain.
Chinwe Obi from Nestlé Nigeria Plc. speaking during the Awards ceremony.
“We are honored to receive these two awards for our efforts in driving Food Security and also for improving food quality through partnerships. We would like to express our gratitude to our partners who work closely with us to achieve our goals for improving grain quality while enhancing the livelihoods of the farmers within our ecosystem.”
“These awards are significant for us in view of the fact that we are Nestlé, the Good Food, Good Life Company, with the purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. This purpose drives us to make a positive impact on the lives of people, within our communities and on the environment now, and in the future.”
The Partnership Award of the Year recognised the company’s collaboration with IDH and Technoserve over the past 18 months to help 5,000 farmers within the company’s ecosystem to improve the yield and quality of their grains. The Nestlé, IDH, and Technoserve Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains project is building the capacity of farmers and aggregators across the grain value chain through training on proper grain handling, storage, and testing, as well as entrepreneurial and financial skills.
In addition, the logistics partners are receiving training on the proper handling of grains during transit to ensure the end-to-end integrity of the grains from farmgate to the factory gates.
For over 12 years, Nestlé Nigeria has been invested in delivering Capacity Development programs aimed at improving food security in Nigeria. In 2019, the company turned its attention to building the next generation of farmers who will take over from the aging generation whose average age is 47 years according to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics (2008).
The various initiatives aimed at improving food security are designed and implemented in collaboration with partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)/2Scale, IDH, Technoserve, and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The programs are implemented with suppliers within Nestlé’s value chain like Psaltry who is working to integrate youth into the cassava value chain.
Victoria added that the awards reaffirm Nestlé’s strong commitment to continue making a difference in society in collaboration with relevant partners and stakeholders in line with the SDG 17 – Partnership for Goals.
The SERAS, Africa’s first and foremost recognition for corporate social responsibility and Sustainability has grown to become the most credible and most glamorous business award in Africa. It has inevitably become the gold-standard award and the most crucial industry ceremony in Africa. Other winners of the SERAS Awards 2021 include Nigerian Breweries, Coca-Cola, IHS, and Zenith Bank.
Leading telecommunications service provider, Airtel Nigeria, has announced the appointment of two directors to join its executive leadership team.
The company named Kemi Ariyo as the new Director of Information and Technology and Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon as Director of Network Transformation and Planning.
According to Airtel, both appointments are set to bring about a new era of innovation and growth within the business.
Speaking on the recent appointments, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz, said the notably experienced Kemi Ariyo will play a pivotal role in driving Airtel Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts and the company is pleased to elevate an excellent female leader within its ranks to the position.
On his part, Cruz stated that Mr. Harmanpreet will spearhead the telecom giant’s network transformation initiatives, geared towards strengthening its infrastructure and ensuring steady services for subscribers.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kemi and Harmanpreet on board. Their in-depth expertise and experience will be invaluable in driving our technological transformation and delivering exceptional experiences to our over 60 million users. We are confident that, with their experience and expertise, Airtel will continue to innovate and stay ahead while developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Cruz said.
Kemi Ariyo
Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon, the company revealed, brings an impressive background experience of over 23 years in the telecommunications industry and a passion for driving technological advancements.
Previously, he had served in various capacities across different organizations, including Vodafone, Nokia, Huawei, and was Chief Technology Officer at One Airtel in Karnataka, India, where he was responsible for leading the technology strategy, forecasting, expansion, operations, cost optimization, and capex planning for the networks team.
Kemi Ariyo also brings years of cross-industry and cross-continental career experience across the IT value chain with a track record of providing technical solutions geared towards service efficiency, customer experience, and business profitability.
Her contribution to Airtel started from her days as a Business Operations Analyst, under the management service at IBM, where she moved into several leadership roles until she fully joined Airtel in 2017.
Recall that Airtel recently completed the first batch of staff promotions for its financial year 2023/24. This promotion cycle saw the elevation of no fewer than 20 employees into senior leadership roles, out of whom three were women, and one out of these women was elevated to a vice president position.
Airtel Nigeria has announced its partnership with renowned manufacturers of 5G-enabled devices. The partnership is in line with Airtel’s commitment to enhance innovation, improve customer experience, and drive the adoption of 5G technology to transform various aspects of customers’ daily activities.
According to the Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja, the strategic partnership is not only to increase access to the latest technological advancements but also to encourage consumers to take advantage of the vast potential of 5G connectivity.
“Our partnership with leading 5G device manufacturers like Samsung, Tecno, and Infinix is a testament to Airtel’s commitment to providing our customers with access to the latest technological advancements. We believe that through this partnership, consumers will not only gain awareness about the potential of 5G but also access devices that enable them to fully embrace the benefits of this transformative technology,” he said.
A notable highlight of this partnership is the exclusive data package provided for users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. For just 2000 naira, customers can enjoy a generous 10GB of data, allowing them to explore the vast potential of 5G connectivity.
Airtel’s partnership with smartphone manufacturers has also enabled the introduction of the lowest-priced 5G device in Nigeria such as the Samsung A14 5G, Samsung’s flagship fold and flip 5, Infinix Hot 30 5G, Tecno Camon 201 and Tecno Spark 101.
…Consumers enjoy exclusive offers from several top brands
Rashidat Okunlade Writes
Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Nigeria, has announced the launch of its annual brands festival campaign, targeted at promoting authentic products across a wide range of categories at the best prices directly from top brands on the platform.
The campaign tagged “Beta products, Beta savings,” starts on Monday, September 4th and will run through September 17th, 2023, offering millions of consumers nationwide the opportunity to buy original products from the official stores of several top brands such as Adidas, Oraimo, Nivea, Xiaomi, DeFacto, Tecno, Pernod Ricard, Infinix, Diageo, Itel, L’Oréal, Bacardi, Binatone, and Haier Thermocool.
“In these challenging times, the essence of the Jumia Brands Festival takes on even greater significance. We are not only championing authentic products, but also making them accessible at the most competitive prices. We understand the constraints faced by today’s consumers – the need for quality products that don’t break the bank. Our collaboration with renowned international brands bridges the gap, ensuring that consumers can work within their budgets while obtaining genuine items,” said Massimiliano Spalazzi, CEO Jumia Nigeria.
“As a young Global Company, TECNO is in the process of rapid growth. Our target consumers are motivated and non-stop pursuing innovation. Bonding between brand and our target consumers, non-stop for Excellence,” said Thompson Ani, Brand Marketing Manager TECNO.
Consumers can take advantage of the amazing offers during the campaign by simply downloading the Jumia App. The campaign will feature Treasure Hunt, Brand Days, Deals of the Day, and Flash Sales, where consumers can get further discounts on a number of products. The campaign is also providing free shipping on a wide range of products to consumers within Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Warri, Benin, Abeokuta, Akure, and Port Harcourt.