Proctor and Gamble (P&G) partnered with the National Center for Women Development (NCWD) on a resident capacity building program for women artisans in Nigeria through the donation of 2,000 packs of Always sanitary pads to aid the menstrual health education sessions during the training at the programme.

Attendants included the Director-General of the National Center for Women Development, Dr. Asabe Vilita Bashir, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the civil society actors.

“The women artisans present here today are worthy of celebration – breaking gender stereotypes in a field dominated by men,” said Mokutima Ajileye, the Managing Director at Procter & Gamble Nigeria. “I would like to applaud the efforts of NCWD on this laudable feat of integrating the informal economy into the mainstream capacity building. When capacities of women in this field are developed, more opportunities abound for women which ultimately lead to better economic outcomes for them and their families.”

She also stated that P&G has continued to demonstrate its commitment to local capacity building through several initiatives like the Women Entrepreneur Development Program (WEDP) which focuses on the training of women entrepreneurs across Africa.

P&G also has the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Academy which has trained over two thousand SMEs in Nigeria on essential skills to integrate into the global value chain. 

“I am excited at the integration of menstrual health management training in this program. Menstrual health management is one of the focus of our citizenship programs in Nigeria due to the accompanying health issues linked with poor menstrual health,” she added.

According to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), estimated that more than 52 million women in Nigeria experience menstruation and more than 50 per cent without access to sanitary pads. Access to menstrual health products, hygiene education and campaigns against stigmatization of menstrual health must be a priority for the government, civil society and the private sector alike.

“At P&G, we are committed to ensuring that nothing gets in the way of the success of young girls and women. Through P&G’s Always Keeping Girls in School Program we are able to do just that, having donated over 30 million pads to over 300,000 girls in Nigeria and over 1 million girls across Africa,” commented Ajimeye. “Last October, we launched the 2021/22 Always Keeping Girls in School (HAGGIS) program in Nigeria to raise the awareness of menstrual hygiene management and support adolescent girls in schools across the federation.”

The AKGIS program is reaching thousands of girls in the Federal Capital Territory and Ogun State with a year’s supply of sanitary pads and menstrual health education.

To demonstrate P&G’s continued commitment as a force for good, the company will launch the 2022/2023 Always Keeping Girls in School Program in more states across Nigeria to touch the lives of more girls in the rural and peri-urban areas.

For almost 30 years, our company, P&G, has been a force for growth and a force for good in Nigeria – creating over 3,000 jobs and touching over 15 million people annually through our citizenship programme.