![Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, CEO of Gavi Alliance. [PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter handle of Atiku Abubakar]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2023/02/Dr-Muhammad-Ali-Pate.jpeg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1)
Reckitt, a global leader in health, hygiene, and nutrition, hosted the closing ceremony of the 2024 edition of the Reckitt Access Accelerator Programme in Lagos. The event marked a significant milestone in Reckitt’s mission to tackle critical Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges in Nigeria through collaboration and innovation.
This year’s programme supported four social enterprises—Geotek, HealthTracka, MN Environmental Services, and Preggify—each receiving ₦12 million in seed funding to scale their health and hygiene solutions. Their innovations range from access to clean water, at-home health tests, provision of public toilet facilities, and maternal care, aimed at promoting hygiene practices in communities across Nigeria.
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In addition to the seed funding, the beneficiaries received mentorship from Reckitt’s people, as well as impact-accelerating boot camps, delivered by Yunus Social Innovation (YSI), tailored to unlock specific barriers to business growth.
Speaking at the event, Akbar Ali Shah, General Manager, Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa, reaffirmed the company’s mission and long-term commitment to locally driven innovation: “At Reckitt, we take pride in offering products that are simple, safe, and effective; products that improve lives in meaningful, measurable ways.
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We, however, also recognise that the true impact goes beyond product delivery. Solving the world’s toughest hygiene challenges, especially in underserved communities, requires scalable, locally driven innovation.
“Reports show that millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to basic hygiene and sanitation services, and we believe that health begins at home and in our communities, which is why we support local entrepreneurs who have the knowledge, familiarity, and support of the communities they serve. Because entrepreneurs drive economic growth, job creation and social impact.”
Speaking on the programme’s global vision, Niklas Lange of YSI, Reckitt’s partners, also paid tribute to the power of local action and collaborative impact, “Globally, 1 in 2 people still lack access to safe water and sanitation. These are not abstract statistics; they represent real mothers, fathers, and children.
The Access Accelerator has already reached over five hundred thousand people, earned global recognition from the World Economic Forum, and built innovation centres in Nigeria and Indonesia. Huge thanks to Reckitt for their commitment to these issues and I look forward to us doing even more.”
One of the beneficiaries of the 2024 Access Accelerator Programme, Mrs Jife Williams, Co-founder, MN Environmental Services, expressed her appreciation and stressed the importance of the initiative, saying, “Our work is driven by concern for public health. Every day, we see the reality, rising rates of open defecation, especially at markets where toilet facilities are near inaccessible.
That’s why we started building mobile toilets to serve these communities. Getting support from Reckitt means we can now reach more people, respond faster, and build better systems. We are thankful for this chance, and we hope more organisations will step in and support ideas that improve basic hygiene. Everyone deserves access to clean and safe sanitation.”
Looking ahead, the Access Accelerator programme will merge under the recently launched Reckitt Catalyst. This new initiative will build on the organisation’s ongoing work to accelerate social impact projects around the world.
Together with its expert partners, they will provide flexible funding, mentoring and expertise to allow innovative businesses to scale rapidly and solve essential hygiene and healthcare challenges. Their goal is to support up to 200 women and underrepresented social innovators by 2030, in more than 15 countries, including Nigeria and Kenya.
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