Young people are receiving critical skills development, particularly much-needed entrepreneurship skills to empower youth to start and build their businesses – thanks to investments by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) as the African continent celebrates International Youth Day.
The theme for this year’s International Youth Day is ‘Intergenerational Solidarity’ and acts as a reminder of the need to collaborate to strengthen key partnerships across Africa to ensure no one gets left behind.
According to the United Nations, small businesses run by youth and young women account for close to 60% of Africa’s GDP, creating about 450 million jobs.
Tshidi Ramogase, group director of public affairs, communication and sustainability at CCBA, said economic inclusion plays a critical role in providing economic opportunities to the youth by providing them access to markets and other economic activities.
“Developing entrepreneurs for the future creates the possibility to link them to the Coca-Cola value chain today or in the future,” said Ramogase.
CCBA directly empowers thousands of young people every year through various programmes across its markets, enabling their inclusion in the economy.
In 2020, CCBA empowered over 11 000 young people through various programmes, enabling their inclusion in the economy.
Ramogase added: “Our aim is to boost income, provide decent earning potential and improve skills and business knowledge for youth – and in particular women, resulting in them accessing other opportunities”.
For instance, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has spent more than R105 million on its Bizniz in a Box initiative and most recently, its Study Buddy Fund.
The company launched Bizniz in a Box in 2016, primarily aimed at transforming aspirant entrepreneurs into fully-fledged business owners who can create a livelihood for themselves and others.
Through Bizniz in a Box, CCBSA has financially supported and provided training to over 700 entrepreneurs across South Africa. The Study Buddy Fund was launched in 2021 and has enabled 55 young people from 14 host communities, where its facilities are located to access tertiary education.
The fund pays for full tuition, accommodation fees and a monthly stipend.
In Namibia, CCBA Namibia has partnered with COSDEF to enable skill training for women and youth.
COSDEF aims to be a bridge for Namibian youth, low-skilled adults and women.
It primarily caters to those who have not completed their schooling as well as those who are unemployed or underemployed by empowering and giving them the necessary skills and training.
The Namibian bottler for CCBA also supported students at STADIO and Mining and Technology (NIMT) to train Namibians in the technical skills required by the mining, engineering and other industries.
CCBA Namibia also became a subsidy partner for the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) program, Know2Grow (K2G) NextGen Entrepreneurs 2022.
The K2G initiative will enable the scaling of these businesses, growing them from micro and small entities to medium and even large entities.
In Ghana, Voltic (GH) Limited – a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa – has supported the career development of young women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
Earlier this year, Voltic joined the non-profit organisation, Girls in Science and Technology (GIST), to launch the GIST – University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa chapter.
The programme introduces GIST to women students at the university and promotes their participation in STEM while sparking their interest in the endless career opportunities available to them.
Ramogase concludes “by investing in youth economic inclusion, we have created shared value in hopes of a better-shared future, enabling improved livelihoods for young people, their families and their communities, while inclusively expanding our business”.