By SOLA OGUNDIPE & Nnamdi  Ojiego

STAFF and students of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos can now enjoy the health benefits of coffee in a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the debut of the Nescafe Café which was formally commissioned at the University of Lagos last week.

Declaring the café open, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Rahman Bello, said the new café would be a place where staff and students can interact, socialize, engage in light reading and enjoy Nescafe with their meals. He said the management would add traditional menu, barbecue, music and live performances while visitors to the café would also be able to connect wirelessly to the internet.

Marketing Services Director, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mrs Iquo Ukoh, said the new Café marks the beginning of a new partnership between Nestle and Unilag. “It is the 2nd of its kind. The first was opened at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ibadan.

The essence of the café was not only to bring the product closer to the consumer but to empower students by providing a training ground for entrepreneurship.” Citing the recently concluded Nigeria Campus Enterprise Challenge in the University of Ibadan which Nescafe partnered with, she said the students were given first hand opportunity to run the café as part of the competition.

“The winners have been brought into Nestlé for training and have been given products to the tune of N100 000.00 as startup capital. They will now run the café for a probationary period of six months.” Category Business Manager, Nescafe, Mr. Tayo Olatunji said the café is a platform for students and staff to engage with the NESCAFÉ brand without having to leave their campus.