The Coca-Cola Foundation Invests in Green Skills for Youth in Nigeria 

Mary Nnah

As the global community celebrates International Youth Day, under the theme “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”,  The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has reinforced its steadfast commitment to empowering Nigerian youth and cultivating a sustainable future together.

This global day offers an opportune moment to examine the essential role played by young individuals in catalysing positive change, particularly in addressing environmental challenges and constructing a more sustainable world.

The notion of “Green Skills for Youth” has arisen as a groundbreaking strategy to fashion a sustainable world and nurture a generation of environmentally conscious leaders. Amidst unparalleled environmental challenges and the pressing demand for climate action, providing young people with the knowledge and proficiency to tackle these issues becomes exceptionally crucial.

Collaborating with the SWEEP Foundation, TCCF provided funding in November 2022 for The Green Campus Project, a sustainable environmental advocacy program implemented across several Nigerian universities.

This transformative project seeks to empower 250 youth with the necessary recycling skills, igniting a favourable influence on environmental conservation. To encourage recycling efforts, easy-access drop-off centres are stationed across the five campuses. The initiative strives to recover 500 tons of plastic recyclables from prominent universities, while also spreading the recycling message to over 500,000 university undergraduates, fostering a profound behavioural shift. These universities include the University of Lagos, the University of Nigeria, the University of Benin, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan.

President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Saadia Madsbjerg,  emphasised the importance of nurturing environmentally minded champions, adding that, “The ’Green Skills for Youth’ movement transcends knowledge transmission.

“It’s about inspiring a generation of change agents, innovators, and leaders who will advocate for environmental conservation and propel us toward a brighter, sustainable world for generations.”

The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where our employees live and work. “We support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. Our giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community”, Madsbjerg noted. 
Since its inception in 1984, TCCF has awarded grants of over $1.5 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.