Coca-Cola announces Water Stewardship Initiative
The Coca-Cola Company in Africa announced a nearly U$25 million investment to help address critical water-related challenges in local communities in 20 African countries, starting this year through 2030 and which includes Namibia.The work will be led by Global Water Challenge (GWC) and implemented by a consortium of partners, including The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Coca-Cola System’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative was introduced in Cape Town, South Africa, in the presence of executives from the Coca-Cola system in Africa and NGO partners.
During the event, Karyn Harrington, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit said that “water is a priority for The Coca-Cola Company and its local bottling partners because it is essential to life, the communities we serve and our beverages. As we face increasing water insecurity worldwide, with demand outstripping supply in many regions such as Africa, Coca-Cola is taking steps to help accelerate efforts to address water stress, protect local water resources, and build community climate resilience.
Monica Ellis, CEO of GWC added: “One in three Africans faces water insecurity. The Global Water Challenge and our initiative partner coalition seek to improve water security for millions across Africa, helping advance community health and resilience through abundant, clean water. We applaud Coca-Cola’s continued leadership on African water security.”
Access to water, sanitation
The Coca-Cola System’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative aims to help protect and enhance the health of important watersheds and to help improve access to water and sanitation services in local communities with projects in Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Recognising that partnerships are critical to support this work, the company and its bottlers are collaborating with governments, businesses, and civil society organisations to design and implement strategic interventions. In addition to supporting the company’s water strategy, this effort also aims to contribute to advancing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation.
This water initiative will build upon The Coca-Cola Foundation’s (TCCF) Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), a groundbreaking collaboration with key partners and co-funders which helped improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for 6 million people across African countries between 2009 and 2019.
Through 120 projects, the initiative positively impacted homes, schools and healthcare clinics in more than 4 000 communities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coca-Cola.