Dodoma – More than 300 women food vendors in the Dodoma Region received cooking equipment and clothing items to boost their businesses today as part of an economic inclusion campaign by the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) subsidiary, Coca-Cola Kwanza, called Mwanamke Shujaa, or “A Brave Woman”.
The women will also receive training in business and entrepreneurship skills in partnership with the College of Business Education- Dodoma, with a focus on bookkeeping, Stress management and growing capital.
At the official handover ceremony at the College of Business Education, attended by the Regional Commissioner for Dodoma Region, Hon. Rosemary Senyamule, the women received 15kg gas bottles, two-plate gas cookers, aprons and t-shirts.
This brings the total number of women who have benefited from the Mwanamke Shujaa campaign to 818 after Coca-Cola Kwanza announced its intention earlier this year to support the theme of International Women’s Day, which is #BreaktheBias, by equipping women to take their rightful place as equals in the economy.
The company has also empowered 1,200 youth this year.
Speaking at the event Coca-Cola Kwanza’s Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability director, Salum Nassor, said the company aimed to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities it served across the value-chain.
“Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent.
“People matter. Our planet matters. We believe in doing business the right way by following our values and working toward solutions that benefit us all. Profitability is important, but not at any cost.
“When we grow our business the right way, not just the easy way, we help create inclusive growth opportunities for our communities, women and youth, our customers, our employees and our shareholders, for a better shared future,” said Nassor.
“We understand that our business can only thrive when the communities we serve thrive too. Investing in communities ensures our business sustainability. Most of all, we are all Africans and are part of our communities.
“We aim to create inclusive growth opportunities for Women, Youth, and People with Disabilities by defining a consistent way of implementing economic inclusion programmes across our markets and leveraging leading practice for implementing our programmes.
“We leverage our value chain to embed economic inclusion, as we seek to identify skills development opportunities to grow businesses through entrepreneurship.
“Our entrepreneurship programmes focus on initiatives that provide people with the opportunity to take an existing business to a higher level of operation.
“The success of these programmes will be defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock decent earnings potential, and improve skills as well as business knowledge, resulting in access to economic opportunities.
“Whether donating money, our time or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously,” Nassor said.
On the other hand, the Oryx Gas Central Region Manager, Mr. Shaban Fundi, stated at the event: “We choose to collaborate with Coca-Cola Kwanza Ltd. on this noble cause.” Oryx Gas has a commitment to support enterprises and society as a whole in order to boost the country’s economy, increase the usage of gas in the country, and reduce the use of charcoal and firewood. This is due to the company’s concern for the preservation of the environment and the health of women.
