Nestle Plans Workshop For Journalists

In furtherance of her commitment to promote public understanding of nutrition, water and agriculture/rural development issues, Nestlé, the leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness company, is set to organise a workshop for journalists .

The workshop which is aimed at strengthening journalists reporting skills and raising the level of media coverage of nutrition, water and agriculture/rural development issues, will hold on Thursday, 14 June, 2012 at the Ilupeju head office of the company.

Speakers in the event with the theme “Creating Shared Value,” will provide fresh thinking on how to mainstream nutrition, water and rural development reporting in the media.

The  Special Adviser to the  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, will speak  on “Telling the Agricultural Story: Opportunities and mechanisms”. The Anglophone Africa Coordinator, World Federation of Science Journalists and Programme Director, DevCom Network, Mr Akin Jimoh will speak on the “Challenges of communicating science-based food and nutrition information to the public” while the President, African Federation of Science Journalists and Knight Fellow of Massachuset Institute of Technology, Mr Diran Onifade, will talk on “Turning water into news”.

The workshop which will be declared open by the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr Martin Woolnough, will bring together journalists  and development communication experts from  the print, electronic and online media to discuss the role of the media in addressing development challenges in nutrition, water and agriculture/rural development.

Together they will search for innovative reporting models that will leverage the power of the media to shape public debate and policies on Nigeria’s economic development.

According to a statement, creating shared value is a fundamental part of Nestlé’s way of doing business that focuses on specific areas of the company’s core business activities namely nutrition, water and rural development, where value can best be created both for society and shareholders and is at the heart of how Nestlé runs its business.

In Nigeria, the company has launched many initiatives focusing on the three core areas of nutrition, water and rural development.

In June 2011, Nestlé launched the Healthy Kids Programme to provide nutrition education to school-aged children, giving them the chance to develop positive attitudes and behaviours towards food and exercise to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

 By Henry Ojelu