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Nestlé Central and West Africa committed to youth employment

Nestlé Central and West Africa has two initiatives focused around selling hot Nescafé in crowded areas and open markets while creating job opportunities for youth.

In the ‘My Own Business’ (MYOWBU) initiative, young people – the majority of whom are women – sell hot Nescafé from specially designed backpacks, which enable them to dispense coffee by the cup.

In the ‘Pushcart’ initiative, Nescafé sellers – mainly young men – are provided with pushcarts, instead of backpacks. 
In both cases, the Nescafé sellers get hot water from micro-entrepreneurs who run their small enterprises in kitchens around open markets. Nestlé helps them to set up their kitchens and provides them with all the equipment, as well as with continuous training on safety, hygiene, and basic business skills.

In 2014, about 55 million Nescafé cups were sold on the streets in Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, creating more than 4,500 jobs.

Youth unemployment is a major issue in Central and West Africa, and as Nestlé grows we have also the opportunity to support the economy. Empowering young women and men in this way can help their communities and at the same time create business opportunities for our company – this is what we call Creating Shared Value. 

12th August marks International Youth Day and Nestlé takes this opportunity to celebrate its MYOWBU and Pushcart sellers.