From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Nestle Nigeria Plc said it is growing strong businesses of 50 rural women in the South-South region, in order to improve their finance and living standard of their families.
Commercial Manager of the firm, Ramadan Khaled, disclosed this at an event with business women in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday. Khaled stated that Nestle Nigeria Plc wants to achieve the goal by giving 300 percent valued products as grants, to the beneficiaries, out of which only 20 percent would be refunded in six months.
According to him, the programme, which was launched in August, 2021, was designed to improve the businesses of rural women and make them supportive of their families
He said: “The programme is to scale up their businesses, improve their standard of living and increase the household income. That is all about this programme. “But, what we have done in this programme is that, we are providing for ladies (women) participating with us up to 300 percent in value of products as grants. “They are supposed, after a period of six months to pay 20 percent only of the value of this amount. And the rest of the percent will help them to scale up their businesses and help their families. “We started with 50 rural women in Abuja; we moved to Ekiti in South West. We had moved to Enugu in the South East and now, South-South, with additional 50 women, making the number 200.” He disclosed that by the end of 2022, Nestle Nigeria Plc must have improved the businesses of 300 Nigerian women and the living condition of their homes, with the visit to Northern part of the country.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Ifeoma Onyenwisi, said she was surprised that the company was asking them to pay back only 20 percent of the 300 percent valued products.
She promised the firm that she would make judicious use of the 280 percent waiver to grow her business and her family.