Coca-Cola Strengthens ‘Equip 60,000’ Entrepreneurship Initiative

As part of efforts to help youth and women fulfil their potentials, particularly in the competitive world of business, The Coca-Cola Foundation has set out to empower 60,000 people in Nigeria with modern entrepreneurial skills with a good number of them also getting grants.

At the hybrid closing ceremony for the Kano leg of the event, Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe disclosed that the ‘Equip 60,000’, as the initiative is themed, would see the training and empowerment of several youths and women across the country as part of the company’s commitment to youth and women entrepreneurship under its new Africa sustainability platform termed JAMII.

She said, “We are in partnership with the Whitefield Foundation to empower the youth and women across Nigeria with practical money-making skills and to ensure that the program touches as many lives as possible, we have set out with 72 carefully identified skills which we have been delivering to participants both physically and virtually across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja since December 2021.”

“In addition to knowledge empowerment, The Coca-Cola Foundation had also been offering business grants to those who distinguish themselves during the training. The grants come in three categories of gold, silver and bronze.”

Director Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Nigerian Bottling Company  (NBC), Ekuma Eze, pointed out that the initiative is for empowering youths and women as part of efforts to help these important segments fulfil their potentials and impact on the society more positively.

Chief Executive, Whitefield Foundation, Funmi Johnson expressed delight at partnering with The Coca-Cola Foundation on this initiative, which she described as a unique opportunity of transforming lives with both the training and business grants.

She commended the quality of the training and the transparency of the process of selecting the grant winners, and encouraged them to “take advantage of today’s ceremony to network and sign-up mentorships which would aid the sustenance of the program”.

“With the backing of The Coca-Cola Foundation, we will keep deepening this initiative across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to empower youths and women with money making skills with the conviction that empowering these sensitive segments would have a multiplier effect on alleviating poverty levels of the larger society,” Johnson added.