It is with immense pride and pleasure that I address you through our web site for Nestlé Equatorial African Region. This regional structure, established only since 2008, regroup 21 African countries, with its headquarters based in Nairobi, Kenya.
More than just a structural reorganization, this move is yet another proof of the Group’s long lasting commitment to Africa, a commitment deeply rooted in the history of Nestlé during the last century. As the world recovers from the recent economic crisis, we expect African markets to offer additional economic opportunities as we expand our operations and introduce new products.
We are indeed living exciting times in this region. Everything we do is being done for the first time. In addition to the 2 factories in Kenya and Zimbabwe, in 2012, we launched two new factories in Angola and Congo. Plans are under way to build a factory in Mozambique. We are investing in distribution centers across the region and more than doubling our work force, all by the end of 2013.
In less than 4 years, we have revamped our product portfolio, providing tasty and nutritious products at an affordable price to our consumers across Equatorial Africa. We have undertaken all these initiatives with the health and well-being of our consumer at the heart of our strategy. To quote our Chairman of Nestlé S.A, Mr. Peter Brabeck Letmathe, “Our number one priority is obviously to provide value to our consumers, and Nestlé has become the number one Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company in the world through providing nutritional value.’’
In a few words, our strategy refers to what we feel are today the principles of a committed engagement in Africa: Creating Shared Value, for both society and our shareholders at the same time, promoting good health and nutrition, participating in sustainable rural development, and last but not least, ensuring that all our efforts meet environment preservation requirements. Our will to apply these principles in our day-by-day business demonstrates that Nestlé EAR is looking far beyond immediate returns: our company has a strong confidence in the region’s potential for long-term growth and development.
I would like to thank you, dear consumers, customers, stakeholders, for your continuous support. I sincerely hope that you enjoy going through our web site.
Ian Donald
Region Head and CEO
Nestlé Equatorial African Region