NBC Investment in Nigeria Hits €1bn in 10 Years

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has stated that its investment in Nigeria has reached over €1 billion over the past ten years, noting that the move demonstrates its confidence in the nation’s investment climate.

The Managing Director, NBC Limited, Matthieu Seguin, stated that the investment helped to boost its production capacity, build warehouses, invest in eco-friendly businesses that has provided job opportunities to thousands of Nigerians across the country.

The Managing Director at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony with its implementing partners of its recent €1 million donation announcement, said the donation reflects the Company’s commitment to enriching communities and will be targeted towards empowering youth and women, the provision of water and sanitary facilities, as well as scaling its PET recycling initiatives in Nigeria.

“This donation underscores our commitment to improving the lives of our communities, and it will be directed towards areas we believe we can have the most impact – empowering youth and women, and the provision of water and recycling facilities. I would like to particularly thank our partners in these initiatives, who have been selected based on their strong track record and will work with us to ensure that this investment is directed where it’s needed most, “Matthieu added.

Key partners for the programmes covered under the €1 million donation include Karis &Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, West African Vocational Education (WAVE), Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) and Chanja Datti Limited.

OPS-WASH will deliver state of the art toilet facilities across identified communities in 5 states in Nigeria, reaching about 5 million people annually. The intervention will also support the Federal Government’s efforts to end open defecation by 2025.

Similarly, WAVE Academy will undertake the upskilling of youths in Abuja, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Edo, Rivers and Kaduna in Digital and Hospitality skills and connect them to job opportunities.Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation will focus on empowering vulnerable women across 8 states with relevant skills to support economic inclusion of women.

The MoU provides a formal framework for the programmes based on shared values and further demonstrates NBC’s commitment to contribute to the uplifting of communities and socio-economic development in Nigeria.

 In her remarks, Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Cecilia Bolaji Dada,who was represented by the Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Funmi Raji, said: “The Ministry commends the Nigerian Bottling Company on their laudable impact in alleviating poverty amongst the citizenry and the state in general, by empowering vulnerable women and young girls in the society through their various programmes. I encourage women everywhere to continue to avail themselves to various opportunities to become empowered, self-reliant, and independent financially.”

Jande Tarfa, a representative of one of the partners, WAVE, said the donation would enable the organisationto expand the scope and impact of its youth empowerment initiatives and reach even more beneficiaries across the country.