Ghana: Fan Milk Plc. transforms 10 street vendors into business owners

Fan Milk PLC, Ghana’s leading dairy and beverage company, has sponsored ten street vendors to transition into full-time agents in a strategic move to create sustainable jobs within its value chain.

The initiative is part of the company’s ‘Project Sankofa,’ to reignite the excitement associated with Fan Milk products over the past 64 years.

In addition to this drive for pride, the company has specifically created the “Right to Dream” Award Scheme, to specifically reward loyal Street Vendors whose hard work had facilitated to place the company’s brands into the hands of consumers all over Ghana. This ties in perfectly with the ambition of Fan Milk’s parent company Danone, notably with its Danone Impact Journey pillar of ‘Thriving with its People & Communities, while equipping and empowering them with skills and capabilities needed for the future.

The Managing Director for Fan Milk PLC, Lionel Parent, in his meetings with the Agents across the country emphasized the importance of personal engagements to understanding the business needs of its commercial partners.

“We are happy to bring back pride in our vendors and agents, who have been the key drivers of our business growth. For the first time, we have identified and rewarded ten street vendors by elevating them to the Agent category, making them business owners. By providing financial support and logistics, we are helping them become independent Agents. This confirms our heritage as a brand that grows alongside its partners. This is just the beginning of our plans to bring back pride through strategic engagements,” he said.

Agartha Baidoo, the first female to win the 2024 ‘Right to Dream’ Award, thus transitioning from a street vendor to an Agent after five years. She expressed her heartfelt appreciation to Fan Milk PLC for an empowering initiative that supports her dream to earn more income and support her family.

She commented, ‘As a street vendor, it has always been my dream to save enough and own a shop. This support from FanMilk is a dream come true. I am excited and encouraged because selling Fan Milk products has been my only business for so many years.”

Over the past two months, Fan Milk PLC has engaged with over 555 Agents across the country and 1,200 vendors in Accra to better understand their challenges. This initiative aims to revive our ambition to support sustainable employment, protect our brand heritage, while providing refreshing snacks to our cherished customers.