What Reckitt’s Sub-Saharan Africa Head Office means for Nigeria
For decades, the human capital and market share that the African continent provides has created the need for some multinationals to expand into the region. Some have gone as far as choosing a country in the continent to serve as a base or command centre for all operations within Africa.
Earlier in the year, one of the fastest growing social networking companies, Twitter Inc, announced a plan to establish its African presence by setting up a regional headquarters in Ghana.
This development sparked a series of reactions from Ghanaians, Nigerians, and other individuals on how it will affect both countries. One of such reactions was from the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, who tweeted his excitement on the company’s decision to choose Ghana as Twitter’s Africa HQ.
He wrote, “the choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is excellent news. Government and Ghanaians very much welcome this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country.”
Most recently, multinational hygiene giant, Reckitt (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser) commissioned its new Sub-Saharan Africa head office in Ikoyi, Lagos Nigeria on Monday, June 28, 2021.
This new head office will serve as a base for efforts facilitating increased access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment products for citizens across the six countries under its Sub-Saharan Africa region — Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ivory Coast. This development is in line with the company’s growth and expansion strategy to penetrate the market, serve customers efficiently and effectively in the African continent.
According to Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa General Manager, Akbar Ali Shah, “we envision Sub-Saharan Africa as the next pillar of growth, where our brands can truly live their purpose to build a cleaner and healthier world, where access to quality hygiene, health, and nutrition becomes a right and not a privilege.”
He continued, “Nigeria being the biggest economy in Africa is a natural base to drive our expansion plans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reckitt has been working on a Work-From-Home (WFH) policy since March 2020. Over the last year, we learned how the world has evolved, and we understand the benefits of a hybrid work regime. We are moving from the conventional office space to an all-inclusive collaboration centre where employees can bring their true selves to work. In this regard, we have set up what will be the future of the workplace, a first of its kind.
“Additionally, at Reckitt, sustainability is central to our purpose and runs through everything we do, hence the choice of this office within the first environmentally certified commercial building in the city was deliberate.
“Reckitt is famous in Nigeria for its brands like Dettol, JIK, Harpic, and Mortein. As a British business operating in Nigeria, I am pleased to support the opening of their Head Office for Sub-Saharan Africa in Lagos. The British Deputy High Commission and our International Trade Team are committed to supporting all UK businesses, delivering more jobs and economic growth for both Nigeria and the UK.
“Nigeria is still the second-largest destination for British foreign direct investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. I’m very proud of that. Our job is to try and grow that. Secondly, on the workspace, I think this again is an example of people’s visionary approach to post-COVID environments in a workspace; safe, functional but also very pleasant. I think it’s an example to encourage others to look at this.”
The British Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, OBE, who inaugurated the new HQ opines that Reckitt’s move is laudable as he expressed his support for the organisation as they deliver more jobs and economic growth for Nigeria.
