1,500 Liberian Women to Benefit from The
Coca-Cola Company’s 5by20 Empowerment Program
MONROVIA, Aug. 26 2013 – During
a visit to Liberia today, Muhtar Kent, the Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola
Company, visited with Liberian women entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the
Company’s 5by20 program.
5by20 is The Coca-Cola
Company’s global commitment to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million
women entrepreneurs across the Company’s value chain by 2020. By the end of
2014, 1,500 women in Liberia will receive financial skills training, mentorship
opportunities and a retail starter kit for small business including a cooler,
cases of Coca-Cola products and a market umbrella.
“Liberia’s growth in the last 10
years is one of the success stories of this great continent,” Kent said. “Investing
in women’s entrepreneurship is the surest way to guarantee that growth
continues.”
To date, The Coca-Cola Company
has already supported over 150 women in Liberia and more than 300,000 around
the world, collaborating with governments, civil society and other businesses
to bring women entrepreneurs into the Company’s value chain and create
opportunity for sustainable prosperity.
“I now have a sustainable
business selling Coca-Cola and other food products like bread. I can now provide
my children with an education and a real future,” said Sianneh Kamara, who runs
a retail stand in Duala. “I hope to expand my business and hire other women in
my community,” she concluded.
Coca-Cola has been a fixture in
Liberia since 1949 and, with its bottling partner Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling
Company, today employs 189 Liberians and serves more than 6,000 retail outlets.
Alfonso Libano, Chairman of Equatorial
Coca-Cola Bottling Company, noted, “Job creation and meaningful employment are
vital to Liberia’s continued growth and for every one of our associates there
are another six Liberians whose
livelihood is supported by our value chain”.
The Coca-Cola system has
invested more than US $10 million in Liberia in the last five years.
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About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company,
refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by
Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 16
billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero,
vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally,
we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and
juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution
system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of
more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building
sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our
environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe,
inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic
development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling
partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than
700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
About Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling
Company started operations in 1989, selling 20,000 unit cases and with 6 employees.
Today, the Company covers 13 countries with 6,000 employees serving 100 million
consumers.
About 5by20
The Coca-Cola Company's global
5by20 commitment was announced by Muhtar Kent in September 2010. At the end of
2012, nearly 300,000 women entrepreneurs throughout the world had been impacted
by 5by20. Please visit www.5by20.com for
more information.
CONTACT DETAILS
The Coca-Cola Company,
Liberia
abawuah@coca-cola.com
Equatorial Coca-Cola
Bottling Company, Liberia
sadubaah@eccbc.com
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