The Nigerian Breweries Plc has organised nationwide entrepreneurial capacity training to foster growth in its customers’ businesses.
According to a statement from the company, the training programme was aimed at equipping their customers to run sustainable businesses.
The initiative kicked off in July 2025 at Awka and has culminated in a total of 360 high-value retail outlets and sub-distributors spread across 12 regions, benefiting from comprehensive training that provides the tools and skills necessary for long-term business success.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Thibaut Boidin, speaking at the closing-out ceremony of Empowerment to Drive Growth and Excellence 2025, held in Lagos recently, explained that the programme was created in direct response to insights gathered from the company’s Voice of Customer engagements, which revealed that many retailers were struggling with operational sustainability, financial management, and customer retention.
He noted that EDGE was designed to bridge these gaps by equipping customers with essential business knowledge, digital tools, and post-training consultancy support.
“In the past year, navigating Nigeria’s business and economic environment, we have witnessed many retail and sub-distributor outlets shutting down. Our customers made it clear that they needed stronger business support, and EDGE was our response: Empowerment to Drive Growth and Excellence. Through this programme, we trained over 360 customers across 12 regions, equipping them with practical skills, business tools, and free inventory apps to help reduce losses and strengthen their operations. At Nigerian Breweries Plc, we believe that when our customers grow, we grow. EDGE reinforces our unwavering commitment to being true partners in progress,” he said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the facilitator of the programme and Chief Executive Officer of Tom Associates, Temitope Jegede, explained that during the two-day training, participants were taken through financial literacy modules such as balance sheets, cash flow statements, and profit-and-loss management, as well as customer service optimisation techniques, operational efficiency strategies, and staff development principles essential for building competitive and resilient businesses.
Jegede added that the training model was highly interactive, enabling participants to reflect deeply on operational gaps while learning practical methods for record-keeping, inventory management, and customer relationship development.
Participants expressed enthusiasm and gratitude for the programme, describing it as eye-opening and transformative. They noted that the sessions revealed operational errors they had unknowingly committed for years, particularly in financial tracking, customer management, and inventory control.
One of the beneficiaries, Awesu Ahmed, shared that the training helped him identify long-standing gaps in his operations and equipped him with tools, such as inventory apps, to manage his business more effectively. Another participant, Juliet Nwafor, explained that the bookkeeping and record-keeping modules would significantly enhance her ability to monitor daily transactions and manage her growing retail operations.
The closing ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates of participation, further solidifying Nigerian Breweries’ commitment to the long-term growth of its retail partners nationwide.
