The investment, to be made over the next six years, increases its total announced investment in Africa to $17bn from 2010 to 2020.
The Company and its bottling partners anticipate that this investment will fund new manufacturing lines, cooling and distribution equipment and production; create additional jobs and opportunities across Coca-Cola’s African supply chain; and support key sustainability initiatives and programmes focused on safe water access, sustainable sourcing, women’s economic empowerment, community well-being and operational efficiency improvements.
“As an organisation that has been part of the economic and social fabric of Africa since 1928, we and our local bottling partners have seen, firsthand, the great promise and potential of this dynamic, growing and vibrant continent,” said Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “Even as we see tremendous growth potential in Africa, we know that the strength and sustainability of our business are tied directly to the strength and sustainability of the African communities we proudly serve.”
The Company has also signed a letter of intent to launch Source Africa, an initiative to secure more consistent and sustainable local ingredient sourcing for its products in partnership with the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition and Grow Africa.
The initiative will initially focus on sustainable mango and tea production in Kenya; citrus, mango and pineapple production in Nigeria; and mango in Malawi. Longer-term, the programme could expand to focus on sustainable ingredient production in Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania and Mozambique.
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