Coca-Cola Nigeria has announced a micro business empowerment scheme for over 50 internally displaced women.
The project was part of the company’s “5by20 Women Economic Empowerment Initiative” which sought to provide quality personal development and small business appreciation training for women.
The two-day programme tagged IDP Women Value Chain Integration Programme empowered women with assets that would enable them to start their respective small-scale businesses.
Public Affairs Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Amaka Onyemelukwe, was quoted as saying: “we believe there is no better investment than women to spur economic growth and foster sustainable development. Women are pillars of the communities we serve and pillars of our business. They will play a transformative role in shaping our global economy over the next decade”
During the programme, the women were taught different methods and skills needed to successfully run a micro business, business sustenance and money-saving techniques, customer relationship management, as well as the knowledge of the right attitude to run a successful business.
The 5by20 initiative aims to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs in the global value chain by 2020. The initiative is in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), governments and businesses.
The initiative helps female entrepreneurs associated with the business gain access to three essential economic enablers:
• Business skills training.
• Loans and financial services and assets.
• Peer networks and mentoring.
The 5by20 initiative focuses on women in six segments of the value chain: producers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, recyclers and artisans. .