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.

They’re also vital supporters of Maggi. Its stock cubes are a household staple in the region.

The relationship between mammies and Maggi is symbiotic.

Building a successful market business can take years of trial and error. Essential skills, such as pricing and stock management to portion control, cash flow and customer relationships, 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.

Maggi has stepped in to help new mammies to prosper, with MAGGI MAMI, the first AI-powered business advisor designed specifically for new mammies. MAMI makes years of hard-earned market knowledge instantly accessible to the next generation. And it uses 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 has launched first in Côte d’Ivoire, with ambitions to expand across the continent in the coming years.