From lab to table: Africa advances in nutritious, affordable food solutions

•As Nestle harnesses science for healthier, cheaper meals

By Chioma Obinna

At dawn in a farming village outside Abidjan, mothers gather to prepare breakfast—boiled cassava, maize porridge, or rice. For many households, that meal is heavy on starch but light on the vitamins and minerals children need to grow strong. Across Africa, this scene plays out daily, fuelling a silent crisis of malnutrition, stunting, and anaemia.

It is this reality that Nestlé has continued to confront—not with handouts or charity but with science. At its Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the only one of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, the food giant is betting on innovation, partnerships, and local crops to deliver meals that are not only affordable but also nourishing and sustainable.

“Our presence in Africa is to ensure we are close to consumers and communities, to understand their nutritional gaps and preferences, and then innovate solutions that address those needs,” explained Patricia Ekaba, Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs for Nestlé Central and West Africa Region.

Ekaba said Nestlé’s research network is anchored on three pillars: fundamental research, product and technology development, and regional centres that focus on consumer needs.

Speaking at the company’s R&D Centre in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, during a 3-day media visit to its R&D centre in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nestle’s top executives took turns to narrate their long-term strategy to innovate on nutritious products while working with local research institutions, farmers, and universities.

R&D for nutrition security

Globally, Nestlé invests about 1.7 billion Swiss francs annually in research, with more than 4,000 scientists spread across 22 centres. In Abidjan alone, between 55 and 70 scientists, technologists, and engineers are dedicated to addressing Africa’s food and nutrition challenges.

In the view of the Head of R&D Sub-Saharan Africa, Tesfalidet Haile, Nestlé currently invests about 1.7bn Swiss francs annually in global R&D, with over 4,000 researchers and developers working across 22 R&D centres worldwide.

Haile explained that the company’s R&D activities are anchored on three main pillars: fundamental science, led by global hubs such as Lausanne, Switzerland; product and technology centres, which develop recipes, packaging, and processes for brands like Milo, Nido, and Nescafé; and regional centres, such as Abidjan, which tailor solutions to local realities.

“The reason we are here is to be very close to the consumer. If communities tell us they need more fibre for good health, or less salt because consumption is high, we listen and craft solutions—whether through ingredients, processing, or packaging.”

The Abidjan centre also drives front-end innovation from idea generation and prototyping to pilot-scale production, especially in cereals, legumes, and grains. Meanwhile, Nestlé’s site in Zambakro, near Yamoussoukro, focuses on agronomy and plant science research for cocoa and coffee, working with farmers to increase yield and climate resilience.

In a continent where science and engineering are still male-dominated, we are deliberately recruiting and training female talent with universities,” he said.

Safety, quality, and local relevance

For Florence Kacou, Head of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs for Sub-Saharan Africa, the work begins and ends with consumer safety.

“We do food safety and quality analysis to make sure every product meets both local regulations and international standards. There are no double standards.”

Affordability, she added, is the first test of innovation.

“If the best product doesn’t match a family’s daily income, they won’t buy it. So affordability comes first, then taste, then tailored nutrition.”

Kacou pointed to innovations such as Nido Milk & Soya in Nigeria, which combines milk’s protein and calcium with soya’s fibre and healthy oils, without compromising taste.

She also underlined sustainability as a non-negotiable: “Every product must pass our environmental impact test—greenhouse gas, water, and packaging. If it fails, it doesn’t move forward.”

Nestlé studies show that sourcing protein from locally grown soya in Kano, Nigeria, rather than importing milk from New Zealand, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 39 percent.

“That’s the kind of science-based trade-off we make before launching products,” Kacou said.

Tackling infant nutrition

For Nestlé, nutrition begins with the first 1,000 days of life from conception to age two.

A Nutritionist at the Centre, Audrey Essilfie, explained that strict adherence to the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is central to that mission.

“The Code exists to protect and promote breastfeeding while ensuring that breast milk substitutes are used responsibly when necessary,” she said.

“Compliance is non-negotiable for us. Even in countries where laws are weaker, we do not market products for infants below six months. That’s a company decision.”

She noted that Central and West African countries, with their high infant mortality rates, are all classified as “high-risk” under Nestlé’s global policy, requiring stricter compliance. “It’s about ensuring children everywhere have the best start to life.”

Essilfie highlighted the company’s focus on infant nutrition, particularly exclusive breastfeeding and the fight against stunting and anaemia.

She added that beyond research, the company has established demonstration farms and training programmes for local farmers in Ivory Coast, aimed at promoting best agricultural practices, climate resilience, and improved income.

This includes the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and its Income Accelerator Programme, which supports cocoa-growing communities.

Nigerian challenge: Breastfeeding and anaemia

In Nigeria, the struggle is stark. Exclusive breastfeeding rates remain worryingly low, said Mopelola Olaiya, Compliance Officer for Nestlé Central and West Africa.

“In 2013, only 29 percent of babies were exclusively breastfed, while 39 percent were breastfed but also given water. Many mothers don’t realise breast milk already contains enough water. Giving water displaces breast milk in a child’s stomach, reducing vital nutrients.”

Olaiya added that poor breastfeeding practices, combined with carbohydrate-heavy weaning diets, fuel iron deficiency anaemia—one of the most common health problems in Nigerian children.

“Babies are born with iron stores from their mothers, but if the mother is deficient, the child starts life at a disadvantage. After six months, breast milk provides only about 2 percent of iron needs. Without iron-rich complementary foods, children risk stunting, poor school performance, and even impaired brain development,” she said.

She stressed that this is why Nestlé places strong emphasis on infant nutrition, focusing not just on products but on long-term child health outcomes. “Those early years of life are critical because they program children metabolically and shape their physical and mental development,” she explained. To address gaps, Nestlé has fortified products such as Cerelac, which provides about 50 percent of a baby’s recommended daily iron intake in a single 50-gram serving.

With infant formula and complementary foods tightly regulated, Nestlé’s outreach strategy is deliberately narrow. “Our category of products cannot be advertised publicly,” Olaiya clarified.

“So our key audiences are healthcare professionals, who we engage daily to ensure that when they meet clients with specific needs, they can recommend the right solutions within the scope of local regulation.” She added that tackling malnutrition is a shared responsibility, requiring collaboration with academia, regulators, and healthcare professionals. Only by working together can we secure optimal nutrition for the next generation,” she said.

Partnerships, sustainability, and the future: Beyond product development, Nestlé is investing in the raw materials that form everyday staples. In collaboration with the National Agronomic Research Centre in Côte d’Ivoire and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, the company is working to improve yields of cocoa, maize, and coffee, while ensuring climate resilience.

“Our research isn’t just for Nestlé factories. It benefits farmers, governments, and researchers across the region,” Haile said.

In 2018, Abidjan was designated as Nestlé’s Global Centre of Excellence for Cereal-Based Product Development and Industrialisation, serving the world from Africa. And in 2023, the company launched a new global institute for agricultural sciences, with one base in Zambakro, dedicated to sustainable farming in the face of climate change.

“Our vision is to keep working towards a healthier, more sustainable future,” Haile stressed. “From regenerative agriculture to local sourcing, Abidjan will remain central to Nestlé’s innovation for Africa.”

For Nestlé, Africa’s challenge is clear: a fast-growing population demanding food that is affordable, nutritious, and sustainable. Through science, partnerships, and strict compliance, the company insists it is positioning itself as part of the solution.

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