Nestlé Intensifies Global Youth Empowerment Strategy in 2025

​By Adeleke Paul Olubanwo

​In a year marked by mounting economic volatility and persistent youth unemployment across global emerging markets, Nestlé significantly amplified its investment in youth upskilling and career development. This comprehensive initiative, anchored in the global “Nestlé Needs YOUth” agenda, rolled out a suite of transformative programs across key operational regions, including Africa.

​From the vibrant hubs of Lagos and Nairobi to the major cities of Cairo and Kuala Lumpur, the food and beverage multinational is deliberately positioning itself not only as a nutrition industry leader but as a strategic partner in cultivating the next generation of technicians, entrepreneurs, and change agents.

​A Vision for Sustainable Human Capital Development

​The core of Nestlé’s 2025 youth strategy is the commitment that sustainable business growth must be intrinsically linked to human and socio-economic development. This year alone, the company’s interventions, spanning from advanced technical apprenticeships to entrepreneurship incubation, have positively impacted thousands of young lives.

• ​Bridging the Industrial Skills Gap: In Nigeria, the Agbara Technical Training Centre celebrated the graduation of its 8th cohort in September. The intensive 18-month program equipped 20 new technical professionals with a blend of theoretical knowledge, rigorous hands-on manufacturing experience, and essential life skills. This initiative continues to serve as a vital mechanism for addressing the nation’s critical industrial skills deficit.

​“Our objective is to prepare young people not merely for immediate jobs, but for sustainable, lifelong careers,” stated Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria. “We are dedicated to building the confidence, creativity, and technical capacity required for them to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving economic landscape.”

​Elevating the Informal Economy: The MYOWBU Initiative

​In a strategic move to formalize and empower grassroots commerce, Nestlé Professional’s “My Own Business” (MYOWBU) project in Lagos trained over 300 young vendors and food entrepreneurs in May. The workshops delivered crucial skills in modern business management, hygiene best practices, and digital marketing, complemented by the “Clean with MYOWBU” recycling initiative to integrate environmental stewardship.

​Participants received starter capital, structured mentorship, and guidance on micro-financing to responsibly scale their street food enterprises. Community reports indicate an immediate and measurable impact: several beneficiaries have successfully expanded operations, hired assistants, and adopted eco-friendly packaging solutions.

​“This is empowerment that transcends rhetoric,” commented Azeezat Adigun, a program beneficiary. “Nestlé has validated that young entrepreneurs, with the right training and resources, can build decent and sustainable livelihoods from the informal economy.”

​Global Alliances for Localized Impact

​Further strengthening its global commitment, Nestlé announced a significant collaboration with UNESCO in March 2025. This partnership will provide USD $1.7 million in funding to support 100 youth-led projects focused on environmental sustainability, digital innovation, and agripreneurship. The fund is already providing grants, mentorship, and crucial visibility to innovators across Africa, Asia, and Latin America—many of whom are leveraging technology to resolve local community challenges.

​This alliance strategically blends Nestlé’s corporate resources with UNESCO’s extensive youth networks, enabling the company to effectively reach grassroots changemakers often overlooked by traditional formal institutions.

​Building Resilience in the Agricultural Sector

​Nestlé’s portfolio also extends to capacity building in the rural economy. In Nigeria, the company enhanced its partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to develop a Dairy Technical Skills Programme, unveiled on World Milk Day in June 2025. The initiative is designed to train local dairy farmers, optimize milk collection logistics, and significantly boost the participation of youth and women across the agricultural value chain.

​By investing in technical and business acumen within the rural sector, Nestlé is actively cultivating a new generation of skilled agripreneurs essential for long-term food security and supply chain sustainability.

​The Strategy: Youth Empowerment as Economic Engine

​Nestlé’s extensive 2025 youth empowerment portfolio signifies a definitive shift in corporate responsibility—one that views young people not as mere beneficiaries, but as critical partners and drivers of future innovation and economic resilience.

​Through rigorous technical training, entrepreneurship incubation, and enhanced education-industry collaboration, Nestlé is successfully building a robust pipeline of skilled professionals. As the year concludes, the outcomes underscore the strategy’s effectiveness: thousands of youth upskilled, hundreds of small enterprises revitalized, and a powerful recognition that youth empowerment is not philanthropy—it is sound business strategy.