KAMPALA – Coca-Cola Beverages Africa has this week celebrated five (5) years since its merger. This is yet another exciting and key milestone in the history of the beverage manufacturer.
In Uganda, the merger saw the Rwenzori Bottling Company, the leading mineral water brand in Uganda, and Century Bottling Company, bottler of Coca-Cola products in Uganda join together as one, signifying economic growth and shared prosperity.
Over these past five (5) years in Africa, several opportunities were identified for realising the continents growth potential, including to expand into territories the company had not operated in before, and to consolidate existing territories.
CCBA has since introduced many initiatives to improve on the impact of its operations on the environment, focusing on the reduction of water consumption, energy usage and waste generation. “Here in Uganda, we are very enthusiastic and proud of our contribution to waste management via our Plastics Recycling Industry in Nakawa – where we have a firm commitment to ourselves as bottlers, to Uganda as our consumers and to Africa as our collective home,” said MD CCBA in Uganda, Melkamu Abebe.
The company has also managed to contain its energy efficiency to 0.32 Megajoules for manufacturing a litre of product, despite facing the challenges to incorporate manufacturing its own supply of PET preforms and expanding into new countries, in many cases inheriting older equipment with less energy efficient profiles.
CCBA has significantly reduced the amount of water required to produce one litre of product over the past five years and in 2020 alone reduced its usage by 463 Megalitres, equivalent to 186 swimming pools of Olympic size.
Research by Fitch Solutions shows that the global soft drinks industry was worth around $295 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to $377 billion by 2023. Africa accounts for only 3% of this total value, despite representing 16% of the global population, which is expected to reach 25% by 2050.
By October 2020, the company had successfully concluded acquisitions in four new countries, increasing its markets to 14 countries, and acquired significant business interests in Kenya.
The company now boasts a diverse African footprint, with more than 40 bottling plants servicing over 650 000 outlets that serve a combined population of over 450 million people across the continent. “We fully understand that selecting and nurturing the right talent will aid in the continuous growth of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa. The opportunities set before all of us as a company are limitless as long as we believe and execute our overall goals,” said Manufacturing Director, Edward Ojede.
It directly employs more than 17 000 people and enjoys the number-one market position in most of its territories.
“We continue to focus on growth and inclusion where creating opportunities for more and more Ugandans is a part of our priority. We operate full capacity plants in both Namanve and Mbarara where we are keen on best practises to deliver to our customers and consumers quality products. We challenge ourselves everyday on our delivery and it is a commitment we deliver daily,” said Ojede.
As a stronger, more successful beverage bottling business, we can create greater shared opportunity for the business as well as the communities we serve across the value chain through job creation, skills development and support for small-to-medium sized enterprises.
“At CCBA in Uganda, it is key for us to create difference; even when it is just one person. If we as a company can impact change, then we will be celebrating multiple achievements. This allows us to accelerate growth and social development in our value chain, something we can all be proud of as a company and Ugandans,” said SHEQ Manager, Sauyah Nalukenge, in charge of Quality Assurance at CCBA in Uganda.
We have focused on accelerating growth and social development in our value chain and making clear commitments on waste, energy, water and land use to lead the way as a responsible business in Africa.”
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