Franklin Alli
The Coca-Cola Company, has made an ambitious pledge to empower five million women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, and the rest of the world by 2020.

Speaking at a plenary session on empowering women at the Clinton Global Initiative, Muhtar Kent, Chairman and chief executive officer , Tuesday, assured that the company and its bottling partners together with civil society and government partners would work together over the next year to build a detailed plan toward meeting this goal.

This new pledge capitalises on the company’s presence in over 200 countries and its business model which relies on millions of small-scale distributors and retailers, many of whom are women.

To meet this far-reaching target, the company said it will build on best-practices in its business system worldwide, encourage innovation, and seek the insights of women executives as it considers how to break down barriers faced by women in its value chain.

This pledge also builds upon a commitment made by The Coca-Cola Company in 2008 to the United Nations “Business Call to Action” to grow the company’s Micro Distribution Centers (MDCs) in Africa. MDCs are an independent network of entrepreneurs who distribute Coca-Cola’s beverage products to retailers, often by bicycle or pushcart.

At last year’s Clinton Global Initiative, the Company committed that 50% of all new MDCs would be run by women. The Company is well on track to achieve both targets as part of its commitments to the UN Millennium Development Goals.

“Our experience on the great continent of Africa and the model of our existing MDC program provides an expanded platform to empower an additional five million women worldwide over the next ten years. We need to increase awareness that better societies can be created as a result of empowering women,” Mr. Kent said.

Research conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School and engagement with local stakeholders on Coca-Cola’s MDC business in Africa indicates that women face three main barriers to success: lack of access to finance, lack of business skills training; and lack of access to mentors and networks of peers.

The Company plans to conduct further research with potential partners to better understand how to empower women across its global system.

“Enhancing economic opportunities for women in the Coca-Cola value chain will result in increased incomes, enhanced skills in business, increased stature within the community, and improved potential for communities,” Mr. Kent stated.