(Ecofin Agency) - Swiss food industry leader, Nestlé, opened yesterday in the industrial zone of Yopougon in Abidjan, a new distribution center for its products, Agence ivoirienne de presse (AIP) reports.

Inaugurated by Jean Claude Brou, Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister of Industry and Mines, in the presence of John Miller, Nestlé’s Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, the site covers a total area of ​​28,991m2 of which 5,600m2 are allocated to the storage of about 11,560 pallets.

Construction works took two years and cost FCFA6 billion.

According to Stanislas Guedj, Managing Director of Nestlé Côte d'Ivoire, cited by the (AIP), the new commitment by the Swiss group positions Abidjan as a genuine economic growth pole for Nestlé’s activities in Africa.

Founded in 1866, Nestlé has been operating in Côte d'Ivoire since 1959. The multinational company sells soluble coffee under the Nescafé brand, chocolate drinks (Nestlé Milo) and products for infant nutrition (Nestlé Cerelac).

The group already owns a 30ha experimental station in Zambakro (18km from Yamoussoukro) and a research and development center in Abidjan.

Espoir Olodo