Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), in collaboration with the Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, has empowered 200 women in Lagos, particularly those from the Alausa and Ikeja axis, as part of the company’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
Bukola Bamiduro, the founder of the Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, said the women were given the start-up kits they needed to launch and grow their businesses in addition to training in areas including baking, wig making, adire manufacture, make-up, and shoe making.
She mentioned that they also received training in bookkeeping, mental health, and low-interest lending opportunities.
Bamiduro recommended the women to launch their firm right away, rather than waiting until they had a lot of cash.
Lagos State First Lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, represented by Wife of chairman, Ojodu Local Government, Abimbola Odunmbaku, said that empowerment remains a potent weapon to curb poverty.
She stated that when women are empowered and supported, they possess the capacity to build the home, which has a multiplier effect on the society.
“Even as these initiatives are deeply appreciated, I believe that efforts must be made to reach out to more women, especially in the underserved areas and peri-urban communities, so as to drastically reduce the poverty index in our state and country,” Sanwo-Olu said.
She encouraged the recipients to maximize the chance and expand their enterprises.
According to Ekuma Eze, Director of Cooperative Affairs and Sustainability at NBC in Nigeria and West Africa, the company began in Nigeria roughly 71 years ago and is today a global brand.
He exhorted the recipients to never stop studying and to cherish their early days. He also emphasized the need of their learning how to market their goods.
In addition, he urged the ladies to continue putting money back into the business for long-term growth, noting that more than 90% of NBC distributors are female.
“We owe the success story of the company to Nigeria, and Lagos. The plant in Agidingbi is the largest in Africa,” he said. According to Eze, NBC is also supporting the Federal Government to end open defecation by 2025 by providing toilets in some locations.
“We also want to be part of solution to plastic pollution, by setting up five plastic banks which would empower over a thousand women,” he added.
