Nestle Organises Meeting on Creating Shared Values

By James Achanyi-Fontem, camlinknews

Herve Barrere, the Administrator General of Nestle Central Africa Region used a one-day workshop to create shared values with nutrition stakeholders in Douala, Cameroon on the 17th November. 2015. Inviting some 34 authorities from the ministry of public health, academia and civil society, exchanges started with the pass word being safety first for the promotion of wellbeing. The environment and security manager was invited to address participants on what to do in case of any incident, because security is primordial at any industrial setting for wellbeing. It should be noted that Nestle has spent 5000 days without an accident. The industrial environment is clean and perfect with fire extinguishers at every corner of the company. Tracks are marked to separate movement of staff and heavy duty automobile tools within the factory and a medical doctor is readily available to handle unforeseen situations.. The workshop on creating shared values for the amelioration of the wellbeing of the Cameroon population was piloted by Dr. Etoundi Mballa, the director for the fight against diseases at the Cameroon ministry of opening address said public health. Herve Barrere in his opening address said discussions are consultative on the concept of creating shared values and that it is a win-win action. He added that the outcome of exchanges would lead to finding solutions to current challenges on how to improve on the wellbeing of the populations in the Cwntral African Region.

Nestle has employed some 600 permanent workers and over 20.000 indirect workers in the region.involved in various activities. Before coming to Cameroon, Herve Barrere was covering the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nestle is involved in the transformation of coffee in Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon, the promotion of nutrition, health and community development in Africa. Other speakers were. Djoulde Maima, head of cooperation at the Cameroon ministry of public health, Richard Dongue, director of communication and public relations at Nestle Central Africa Region, Dr. Edith Fombang, lecturer at the National Higher School of food and and nutrition in the University of Ngaoundere and Paul Charles Ndjepel Ngan, agro-engineer at the department of studies,programmes and copperation at the ministry of agriculture and rural development.

After listening to the presentations, participants were split into three work hroups to discuss action plans focused on approaches for affronting nutrition challenges, mother and child nutrition and valourisation of local agriculture products and the amelioration of the wellbeing of rural populations.Senior authorities of Nestle Gabon were also in Douala, Cameroon for the meeting These groups were facilitated by Samuel Fotso, Pierre FernandTchokoteu and Morgan Bignoumba.