Chidi Ogbuokiri
In keeping with the times as occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, PZ Wilmar through its premium brand; Mamador, successfully hosted the first ever virtual August Women Meeting. The Mamador August Women Meeting which was a week-long series of activities which came to a successful conclusion on Friday, 28th of August 2020.
The August Women Meeting is a women gathering recognised amongst the Igbo community as the annual homecoming congress. This women gathering has been used over the years, as an opportunity for the Igbo womenfolk in diaspora and in the cities to travel back to their villages to meet with their local counterparts to discuss matters pertaining to community development, as well as other cultural and socio-economic initiatives. However, the Covid-19 pandemic posed a major threat to the gathering for this year’s August Women Meeting, owing to the fact that many are keeping safe and unable to travel, especially those in diaspora.
The Mamador brand therefore took it upon itself to create an opportunity for these women to gather online as it organised the very first virtual August Women Meeting in history. Speaking on this initiative the Marketing Manager, PZ Wilmar, Chioma Mbanugo congratulated the brand on the success of Mamador August Women Meeting.
“Understanding the importance and significance of the August Women Meeting, not just the cultural aspect, we felt it was necessary to host an online version. Times are fast changing; we now live in a world where distance shouldn’t be a barrier to our collective growth and development. This August Women Meeting has always provided women with the opportunity to gather and foster community growth and development, as well as support each other whichever way they can. That is why I am very delighted that we have been able to achieve likewise with our first ever Mamador August Women Meeting.” She said.
The Mamador August Women Meeting which was also supported by Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid, kicked off with a cooking master class hosted by Chef and Mamador brand ambassador, Ify Mogekwu, where the audiences were taught how to prepare some Igbo delicacies and how to keep their dishes squeaky clean with Morning fresh’s superior grease cutting power, after which there was the empowerment session themed Women: The vessels for transformation. The session, which was moderated by super star actress and also Mamador brand ambassador, Ufuoma McDermott had guest speakers which included, veteran actresses, Ngozi Nwosu and Chioma Akpotha, where the role of women and building consciousness to their capabilities in transforming the nation in all sectors was discussed.
The event which was well attended across various social media platforms, climaxed with a thanksgiving celebration as it is synonymous with the August Women Meeting, the audience were treated to live performance from a cultural dance troupe, signaling the end of a successful virtual August Women Meeting. The event saw female entrepreneurs in the food industry empowered with Kitchen appliances, 1-year supply of Morning Fresh and a Free Digital Masterclass at Utiva, one of the biggest data school in Nigeria.