At the closing ceremony of the 8th Nestlé Advancing Nutrition, Health and Environmental Awareness Through the Media program, Wassim Elhusseini, MD/CEO of Nestlé Nigeria PLC, issued a powerful call for deepened collaboration between corporations, scientists, and the media to address Nigeria’s pressing societal challenges.
Marking eight years of the impactful initiative, Elhusseini praised journalists as “builders of public trust, interpreters of science, and enablers of action,” emphasizing their critical role in driving sustainable change. The program, initially a training workshop, has evolved into a vital platform for knowledge exchange and partnership.
Five Key Pillars for Future Impact
Elhusseini outlined five essential principles to guide future collaboration:
1. Collaboration is Essential: “The challenges we face… do not operate in silos. And neither can we,” he stated, stressing that overcoming issues like food insecurity, climate change, and preventable diseases requires united efforts across newsrooms, boardrooms, and disciplines. “We are not opposites, we are partners.”
2. Data Must Drive the Narrative: In an era of information overload, Elhusseini urged media professionals to champion data-led journalism. “Understand it. Demand it. Use it,” he said, highlighting its power to illuminate complex issues like malnutrition or environmental degradation and guide meaningful public conversation.
3. Context is Everything: He cautioned against misleading statistics, urging journalists to humanize data by linking it to lived experiences – “A climate report becomes urgent when it reflects lived realities. Context gives data its humanity.”
4. Embrace the Power of Challenge: Nestlé Nigeria actively welcomes media scrutiny. “We welcome scrutiny… We expect you to hold institutions like ours to high standards,” Elhusseini asserted, affirming that constructive criticism fosters transparency, accountability, and earned trust.
5. Progress Must Be Shared: Reiterating Nestlé’s core principle of Creating Shared Value, Elhusseini declared, “Progress is shared — or it isn’t progress at all.” He emphasized that programs like this are vital investments in democratizing knowledge and ensuring inclusive societal advancement, powered by media storytelling.
A Forward-Look Focused on Action
Elhusseini challenged participants to carry the program’s momentum forward: “Keep asking questions. Keep building networks. Keep connecting the dots between what we eat, how we live, and the environment we depend on.”
He expressed profound gratitude to the journalists for their engagement, the Lagos Business School (LBS) Sustainability Centre, facilitators, guest speakers, and the program team. Reaffirming Nestlé’s commitment, he concluded: “Our doors remain open, our data remains available, and our commitment to partnership remains strong. Let’s continue this dialogue.”
