PRESS RELEASE
May 2026
Across Central and West Africa, thousands of women selling food ingredients in open markets, known as “mammies,” are essential to everyday cooking and local economies. For millions of families living on daily incomes, they make affordable meals possible by selling single unit formats while supporting their own households. Yet building a successful market business can take years of trial and error. From pricing and stock management to portion control, cash flow and customer relationships, these skills are often learned slowly through experience alone. For younger and newer mammies, that learning curve can be especially tough. Low literacy levels and limited internet access make those first years even harder, and some of them never get the chance to succeed.
That is why MAGGI is launching MAGGI MAMI, the first AI-powered business advisor designed specifically for new mammies.
Created in Partnership with Viamo to accelerate learning, MAMI makes years of hard-earned market knowledge instantly accessible to the next generation. Using any basic mobile phone, mammies can call a toll-free number, ask questions in their local language, and get practical business guidance instantly with no internet required.
What sets MAMI apart is its intelligence: it is trained not on generic online content, but on the lived expertise of experienced mammies across the region. It captures their instincts, business strategies and lessons from years in the market, turning real experience into practical support at scale.
MAGGI MAMI builds on MAGGI’s long-standing commitment to strengthening local food ecosystems and supporting the communities at the heart of everyday cooking across Africa. Since 2016, more than 2,500 mammies have graduated from MAGGI’s literacy program developed in partnership with UNESCO.
The initiative was led by Nestlé Central and West Africa Region (CWAR) in partnership with Publicis West Africa, with very close creative and strategic collaboration from Publicis Conseil and Publicis Groupe Africa. Together, the teams combined local insight, regional coordination, and global expertise to create a solution that is culturally grounded, accessible, and built for scale across Africa.
MAGGI MAMI launches first in Côte d’Ivoire, with ambitions to expand across the continent in the coming years.
CREDENTIALS
BRAND: Nestlé Central & West Africa
- Business Executive Officer, Culinary: Seka Sandrine Aguie
- Marketing Manager, Culinary: Chiedozie Unachukwu
- Marketing Manager, Culinary: Rahamatou Zakari-Adamou Palm
- Category Manager, Akanza Boris Armel Konan
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Publicis Group Africa & Publicis West Africa Regional Team
- SVP & Regional Project Lead: Anand Badami
- Chief Creative Officer, Africa: Pete Little
- Regional Executive Creative Director / Regional Creative Lead: Chima Okenimkpe
- Group Creative Director: Luc Aboussou
- Regional Business Lead: Betsey Osuteye
- Regional Strategy Lead: Emeka Obia
- Regional Digital & Innovation Lead: Miguel De Diego Brako
- Regional Media Lead: Muyiwa Aleshinloye
- Regional Production Lead: Eloge Vanie
- Regional Editor: Nana Appiah
GLOBAL AGENCY : Publicis Conseil / Leo Constellation
- CCO Leo Constellation & Publicis Conseil: Marco Venturelli
- CSO Publicis Groupe: Sarah Lemarie
- Global Strategy Lead: Ali Rezgui
- Global Lead Creative: Malobi Dasgupta
- Global Category Lead: Pablo Sabouret / Olga Papikian
- Account Manager: Stephanie Sleiman
- Groupe Global Client Lead: Dennis DeYonker
- Groupe Transformation Lead: Shailen Joshi
- Creative Director: Kevin Zung
- Head of Art: Maud Robaglia
- Art Director: Etienne Dahoumane
- Copywriter: Emeric Balezeaux
- Senior Strategic Planner: Sunila Rajan
- Motion Designer: Damien Boulier (Freelancer)
TECHNOLOGY & PLATFORM PARTNER: Viamo
- Chief Partnerships Officer: Kellen Eilerts · Chief Operating Officer: Sally Hughes
- Senior Director, Africa: Celine Duros
- Senior Program Manager: Abdoul Razak Boubacar Adamou
- Director of Delivery Success: Christina Andriatovohery
- FRAWA Delivery Director: Mamadou Ibrahima Samake
- Head of Programs: Rindra Loic Rabemananjara
- GenAI Technical Product Manager: Linda Liu
- Product Support Engineer: Emmanuel Okinyi Odera
- Product Support Engineer: Maribel Fonseca
- GenAI & POP Delivery, Central: Priscilla Obeng
- Senior Program Manager, GenAI – FRAWA : Juanita Sackey
