News Wings

Tag: Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business

  • Education Innovator, Anita Dagor wins N1m Unilever Nigeria Grant at 24th WIMBIZ Conference

    Education Innovator, Anita Dagor wins N1m Unilever Nigeria Grant at 24th WIMBIZ Conference

    Education innovator and Founder of Armani International Schools, Anita Dagor, has won the Unilever Nigeria Plc. grant of N1 million at the 24th Annual Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) Conference in Lagos.

    The grant, aimed at supporting grassroots education initiatives, was presented by the Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever Nigeria, Zainab Obagun. The award recognizes Armani International Schools’ innovative approach to bridging critical gaps in Nigeria’s education sector through a skills-integrated learning model that equips students for real-world success.

    In her remarks during the presentation, Obagun highlighted the alignment between Armani Schools’ mission and Unilever’s commitment to youth empowerment. “Today we are presenting the award to Armani International Schools Limited for addressing critical gaps in Nigeria’s education sector by championing a transformative skills-integrated learning model. The school’s approach goes beyond conventional academics, embedding essential life skills such as digital literacy, financial education, and personal development into its curriculum.

    “This prepares students not just for exams, but for real-world success.Through targeted teacher training, mentorship programmes, and strategic partnerships with NGOs, Armani Schools extends the impact to underserved communities, particularly in rural areas. By delivering inclusive education and empowering learners with practical skills, the school is helping to reduce illiteracy and foster learning, and to improve long-term community development.

    “The mission aligns strongly with Unilever Nigeria’s Future-X Campus Ambassadors Programme (FUCAP), and our broader sustainability agenda, particularly our pillar on youth empowerment.  Armani International Schools exemplifies the kind of grassroots localization and capacity building that FUCAP supports, empowering young people with tools they need, to thrive, and to grow in an ever-changing world,” Obagun said.

    Launched in 2023 in partnership with UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (GenU), FUCAP is Unilever Nigeria’s flagship youth empowerment programme that equips young Nigerians with essential workplace-ready skills. To date, it has impacted over 800,000 young people, including CV-building training for more than 85,000 students across 20 universities, fostering a skilled pipeline ready to drive national progress.

  • Unilever Nigeria Employees and Partners Commemorate World Clean-Up Day 2023.

    Unilever Nigeria Employees and Partners Commemorate World Clean-Up Day 2023.

    …donates waste bins to Obele Nursery and Primary School, Surulere.

    As part of its commitment to making sustainable living commonplace, employees of Unilever Nigeria partnered with Wecyclers and Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) to commemorate World Clean-Up Day 2023. The port of call was Surulere, Lagos, where they cleaned the premises of Obele Nursery and Primary School and donated waste bins to encourage the pupils to embrace good hygiene by keeping their surroundings clean.

    Speaking on the initiative, the Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever Nigeria, Godfrey Adejumoh, said, “The World Clean-Up Day is a global initiative that brings together people from all walks of life to clean up their communities. In line with the 2023 theme “Embody Unity”, members of the staff of Unilever Nigeria Plc, staff of Obele Nursery and Primary School, Wecyclers, FBRA, and some volunteers cleaned up the premises of the school and some places in Surulere”.

    Evaluating the importance of the exercise, the National Finance Director, Unilever Nigeria, Folake Ogundipe, disclosed that the significance of the celebration of World Clean-Up Day is to enlighten people on proper waste management practices and how to turn waste into wealth. Ogundipe noted that the commemoration aligns with the purpose of Unilever Nigeria as a company.

    She expressed delight about the company’s partnership with Wecyclers, FBRA, the community, and Obele Nursery and Primary School to drive massive awareness for a sustainable environment among the people.

    On her part, Head, Human Resources and Partnerships, Esther Chibuenyin-Fagbo said, “We are here today because we care about our world, the environment, and the people. What we are doing today aligns with Unilever’s core pillars which include- improving the health of the planet, improving people’s health, confidence, and wellbeing, and contributing to a fairer, more socially inclusive world.”

    Emphasizing the purpose of sensitizing the people about waste recycling and turning waste into wealth, Fagbo said, “All they need to do is to collect their recyclables- plastic, paper, cans, cardboard, and bottles. Take them to any of Wecycler’s recycling hubs around them in exchange for cash.”

    “As a company, we have been in partnership with Unilever Nigeria since 2014. Through this partnership, we have set up kiosks where you can donate your recyclables. We have developed a kiosk system in 17 locations where you can drop off your recyclables and get cash incentives“, she added.

    In her remarks, the Head Teacher of the school, Nnabuenyi Obianuju expressed gratitude to Unilever Nigeria for the clean-up exercise which she considers a noble gesture that would go a long way to restoring sanity in the school environment.

    Unilever Nigeria is a century old in the country this year. As the longest-serving manufacturing company in Nigeria, Unilever is committed to its vision of making sustainable living commonplace through its brands and operations.

  • Women are changemakers, creators of sustainable future for all

    Women are changemakers, creators of sustainable future for all

    The Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever West Africa, Mrs Soromidayo George, noted that women are changemakers who play a critical part in creating the envisioned and sustainable future required for all.

    George made this known while speaking at the 2022 BusinessDay Inspiring Woman Series II, themed “Leading the Change-My Story, my role, my expectation,” held in Lagos.

    She explained that there is ample evidence that a country’s economic prospects are conditioned by how engaged women are in society, how able they are to engage in the boardroom, how women entrepreneurs can thrive, and so much more.

    She stated that unlike before, when the conversations around women’s issues revolved around human rights only, today, women’s empowerment is an essential part of the solution to addressing economic challenges.

    “All over the world, women are becoming changemakers, helping to create a new narrative. We cannot afford to be left behind because the world’s future belongs to us. Our place in building any economy and rebuilding our nation cannot be underestimated. As women, we recognize that we are an important economic, social, and political force,” she said.

    In his remarks, The Category Manager of Homecare, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Oladapo Oshuntoye, noted that the Sunlight brand has chosen to take advantage of the platform to drive home the significance of women empowerment in addressing numerous economic challenges.

    According to Oshuntoye, the empowerment of Nigerian women through different requisite skills and start-up tools by the Sunlight brand has contributed significantly to reducing the level of poverty and also helped many women to unleash their potential.

    Also speaking, the Brand Manager, Sunlight, Oluwapelumi Kolade, stated that the brand has decided to sponsor the event to make a strong case for the economic powerhouse that women represent. Kolade noted that the company is delighted to support the initiative as it offers a platform to motivate women and challenge them to achieve their dreams.

    “Over the last years, through the Sunlight brand, Unilever has embarked on many initiatives to assist women in harnessing and unleashing their potential. As an organization, we remain committed to advancing the cause of women in society. This commitment, we have executed through numerous initiatives, among which is the Shakti Women Empowerment Programme set out to support the entrepreneurial skills of women to enable them to do more for their families and households,” he said.