Lugogo: Today, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda has handed over coolers to women to enable them start businesses in the retail category.
This year alone, the company has so far received 1851 coolers which are being issued to our customers across the Country, and women in the retail category form a big part of our business and are therefore beneficiaries of this process. This is part of a bigger Coca-Cola initiative called 5 by 20.
5 by 20 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 the year 2020. Women around the World are already pillars of our business system and are part of our Women Economic Empowerment Program.
In Uganda, this time round, we are focusing on the retail stream of our business. The System’s outlet universe is composed of small general stores, or dukas, small and large grocery stores, local kiosks and larger more formal outlets such as hotels, restaurants and bars. These are approximately 111,000 retail outlets, including retailers that sell Rwenzori Mineral Water products. Dukas are the most common outlets selling our beverages, making up 50% of all outlets in Uganda. Our products are in each of these outlets either in our coolers or dealer owned coolers.
In Uganda, running successful businesses is mainly a male domain. Through 5 by 20, we address the most common barriers women face when doing business which include;
Through this initiative, we offer women access to business skills training and connections with peers and our Sales executives are always at hand to offer continuous monitoring of the business, this helps in offering the much-needed foundation for building a successful business.
Today, we are honored to have Madam Joyce Kizza, one of our very own successful Distributors grace this occasion- shewill share with these ladies her story as well as encourage them to work hard.
While addressing the beneficiaries, Flavia Nabaasa, the Business Development & Commercialization Director CCBA in Uganda said “We have helped to transform the lives of millions of women and thousands of communities by using our core business model to grow and sustain small businesses. This has resulted in increased economic value and business capability for women, communities, and our business system”. I encourage all the beneficiaries to embrace the support and begin your transformation journey, one bottle at a time.
“We believe there is no better investment than women to spur economic growth and foster sustainable development. Women reinvest 90% of their income in their family and community, so by supporting women, we are building sustainable communities through this ripple effect. Women are not only pillars of the communities we serve but also pillars of our business – up to 86% of small stores are owned or operated by women at a country level. Women are critical to our business success and to our 2020 Vision”, Flavia added.
In her remarks, Madam Joyce Kizza urged the women to take their businesses seriously. She thanked Coca-Cola for stepping forward to empower women by using practical solutions within their means, which end up not only uplifting families, but the economy as a whole. She cited herself as a good example of what empowerment means.
Joyce asked Government to consider companies that invest in the growth of the economy while relating cooler distribution to job creation.
