Business
Promoting equity: Three women who run Nestlé factories in Africa (By Jean Marc Gogbeu)
The Nestlé Group, which intends to maintain its leadership and highlight women, has gone well beyond good intentions by choosing to put women in charge of some of its industrial units in Africa
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, March 23, 2023/APO Group/ —
By Jean Marc Gogbeu, Sika Finance for Nestlé (www.Nestle.com)
Nestlé has made the promotion of equity one of the pillars of its business operations, by giving women access to opportunities in technical and industrial fields -areas previously considered exclusive to men. This approach is also applied by Nestlé within its subsidiaries in Central and West Africa region, enabling the emergence of new talent. Three women exemplify this ambition.
Do women have the same abilities as men? Can they excel in so-called men’s jobs? More than 40 years after the establishment of Women’s Rights Day, these questions continue to be asked as the hoped-for changes in gender equality are still struggling to materialize in many parts of the world. Nestlé has been present in Africa for decades and is committed to being an actor of this change through various initiatives, particularly within its subsidiaries.
“Our goal is to promote women, enhance their potential in a work environment full of respect and fairness. More diverse teams with more women in leadership make Nestlé an even better company,” explained Mauricio Alarcòn, CEO of Nestlé in Central and West Africa, at this year’s International Women’s Day celebration, which has the theme: “Embracing Equity’’.
“We are actively working on this,” he continued, “because embracing gender equity leads to better decisions, stronger innovation and greater employee satisfaction.”
Recognized for five consecutive years for promoting gender equality, the Nestlé Group, which intends to maintain its leadership and highlight women, has gone well beyond good intentions by choosing to put women in charge of some of its industrial units in Africa: in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, offering them positions in technical fields which are not common on the continent, and which have the merit of setting examples.
“We must believe in our dreams”
A graduate of SupAgro in Montpellier, France and IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, Joëlle Abega-Oyouomi has been the Director of the MAGGI factory in Yopougon, in the west of Abidjan, since 2020. She joined Nestlé Côte d’Ivoire as an intern at the Research and Development Center (R&D), and then honed her skills at the R&D centers in Shanghai, China, and Lausanne, Switzerland, before returning to Abidjan to take up the position of Product Development Manager (of the R&D Center Abidjan) in 2009. Her record of service earned her a promotion in 2015 to Regional Manager of Manufacturing Services in Accra, Ghana, and just one year later, to Director of the Abidjan R&D Center.
More diverse teams with more women in leadership make Nestlé an even better company
“When you are a woman, you face prejudices that imply that your gender would come with constraints that would hinder your ability to deliver expected results or even remain a reliable talent in the long run,” shares the Cameroonian, who knows the group she has been with for over two decades now.
“What is surprising is that in the personal context, women, whether they are mothers, sisters, wives or friends, are known to be strong, hard-working, as well as great advisors. Why should it be any different in a professional setting? We must believe in our dreams. Nothing is impossible for those of us who are willing to learn, grow, perform, and take care of our physical and mental well-being,” she says, knowing that she is a role model for young people looking for female figures in the sciences.
“Women should always aim to excel…”
Julia Atta is another female leader who showcases Nestlé’s commitment to gender equity. A graduate of the University of Science and Technology in Ghana, she joined Nestlé in 2006 as an intern at the Tema factory, before taking over as head of the Mossel Bay Factory beverage production units at Nestlé South Africa in 2021. For her, “women can face challenges in balancing family life and work; for this reason, it is important that their work environment supports their uniqueness”.
Beyond this journey, women’s engagement can help to change things. “It’s important for women to look for opportunities and leverage them. Some career opportunities may not seem to come at the right time in personal life. But, with some adjustments, it is often possible to balance opportunities with other things that matter to one’s personal life. Women should always aim to excel in everything they do,” she says.
“Diversity improves decision making…”
Even when women are able to move up in leadership, beyond competence, they can have an even greater impact in the management of companies. “When there is a good mix of men and women, teamwork tends to be more balanced, helping to develop greater empathy between individuals. Diversity stimulates greater effort from everyone, which improves decision-making,” says Bunmi Etti-Mfon, who has been managing Nestlé’s production units in Agbara, Nigeria, for four years.
For over eight years, Bunmi Etty-Mfon, was responsible for managing the performance of Nestlé factories in West and Central Africa, before taking on the role of head of the MILO production unit in Agbara, one of Nestlé’s biggest businesses in Nigeria, in 2019. She spent just five months there, before taking over the reins of the plant that produces MAGGI bouillons for millions of consumers in Nigeria.
“Developing a career at Nestlé as a woman and mother has been a rewarding and intellectually stimulating experience for me. I have contributed significantly to the launch of many new products in all categories. I have been involved in projects that have improved the efficiency of various production processes. Today, I continue in this trend, and I am currently leading some incredible initiatives that will increase productivity, reduce costs, and maximize customer satisfaction,” she says.
These three women represent the changes that can be made to strengthen the leadership teams within companies through diversity and inclusion. “We’ve made good progress in our region toward greater gender equity in our company. We encourage our leaders to support an inclusive workplace, the use of Nestlé’s unique paid parental leave program and innovative flexible work policies. Similarly, we have strengthened mentoring and coaching programs to help women reach their highest potential,” says Fridah Muchina, Head of Human Resources for Nestlé Central and West Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Nestlé
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Tony Elumelu Foundation Selects Seven North African Entrepreneurs in 2026 Cohort
Seven North African entrepreneurs in technology, education, professional services and agriculture selected from 265,000 applications at historic Abuja ceremony
Hope is not just a feeling — it is a system we can build
- 7 North African entrepreneurs selected from Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt
- 51% of the 2026 cohort are women, all selected purely on merit, without any quota in place
- 3,200 total entrepreneurs selected from 265,000+ applications across 54 African countries
- USD 5,000 in non-refundable seed capital for each selected entrepreneur
- Selection conducted independently by Ernst & Young
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) (www.TonyElumeluFoundation.org), the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs, announced on Sunday, 22 March 2026 the 12th cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme at a ceremony held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. The announcement was made by Founder Tony O. Elumelu, C.F.R.
Among the 3,200 entrepreneurs selected from 265,000 applications received from all 54 African countries: seven from North Africa. Three from Tunisia, two from Morocco, two from Egypt. Spanning technology, education, professional services and agribusiness, they represent a generation of North African founders building businesses that address the urgent needs of their communities. Their selection, which was conducted independently by Ernst & Young, places them among the most rigorously assessed young entrepreneurs on the continent.
This year’s cohort carries a historic signal: 51 percent of the 2026 entrepreneurs are women. They were selected purely on merit, without quota. Across hundreds of thousands of applications, women distinguished themselves through the strength of their ideas, the clarity of their business models and the ambition of their vision.
In 2026, the Foundation is empowering a total of 3,200 entrepreneurs across all its entrepreneurship programmes:
- 1,751 entrepreneurs through Heirs Holdings Group: Heirs Energies, Transcorp Power, Transcorp Hotels, and United Capital;
- 1,049 entrepreneurs in partnership with the European Commission, OACPS, BMZ and GIZ;
- 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with Sèmè City Development Agency;
- 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with DEG, the German Development Agency;
- 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with the IKEA Foundation, UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited and the Dutch Government; and
- 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with UNDP and the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and Arts.
Each selected Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur will receive USD 5,000 in non-refundable seed capital, access to world-class business management training on TEFConnect, one-on-one mentorship, and entry into a powerful network of investors, partners and fellow entrepreneurs.
In his annual letter (https://apo-opa.co/4uOFepM), “A Story of Hope,” Tony O. Elumelu, C.F.R., Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, shared a powerful message to the new cohort:
“For a long time, I believed luck was something that simply happened to you. Then I came to understand: luck can be engineered. Opportunity can be democratised. Hope is not just a feeling — it is a system we can build.” — Tony O. Elumelu, C.F.R., Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation — 2026 Annual Letter
The Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered over 2.5 million young Africans with access to business management training on TEFConnect (https://TEFConnect.com), and disbursed over USD 100 million in seed capital to more than 24,000 selected entrepreneurs.
Collectively, these entrepreneurs have generated USD 4.2 billion in revenue and created more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. Through its support for African entrepreneurs, TEF has lifted 2.1 million Africans above the poverty line and positively impacted more than 4 million African households, with 46% of supported entrepreneurs being African women. Eighty percent of TEF-supported businesses survive and scale, against a global average of ten to twenty percent.
The announcement ceremony was broadcast live in English (https://apo-opa.co/3PWLiML), French (https://apo-opa.co/3PWLiML), Portuguese (https://apo-opa.co/4t4Y7Da) and Arabic (https://apo-opa.co/4bYHlQl).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Tony Elumelu Foundation.
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