One of the leading beverage Manufacturers in Nigeria, the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, says it has invested over $1 billion in the country since 2014, and plans to invest as much as €600 million between 2019 and 2023.
The Director, Legal, Public Affairs and Communications of NBC, Mrs. Sade Morgan, who made this known at a media parley with journalists in Port Harcourt last Thursday noted that the company has invested $1.1billion in the country in 2014.
Morgan, who spoke alongside the company’s Country Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Mr. Ekuma Eze and Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Mr. Barnabas Eke, said that Coca Cola Hellenic apart from investing hugely in the country, was one of the highest FDI contributors to Nigeria.
According to her, “the basic philosophy that we operate with is that our business is only as sustainable as the communities we operate in. Therefore, we always endeavour to invest in programs and partnerships that help to build better communities around the world, and always promote sustainable and inclusive development,” she said.
The company’s Country CSR Manager, Mr Ekuma Eze, said that apart from youth empowerment through award of scholarships and skills acquisition programmes, NBC had ensured that it was not contributing to the pollution of the communities it was operating and the society at large.
To this end, he said NBC has phased out trucks considered not to be friendly to the ozone layer.
Eze said the decision to phase out such trucks that could pollute the atmosphere through the emission of ozone depleting fumes was in line with the company’s continued implementation of its corporate social responsibility content.
“Now, our trucks do not break down again. We have phased out trucks that are not friendly to the ozone layer. Our refrigerators do not contribute to ozone layer depletion.
“We invest a lot in communities where we do our business and even beyond those communities. The NBC has reduced carbon emission into the atmosphere and also invested in effluent treatment plants,” he said.
On the quality of its main product, Coca-Cola, Eze maintained that contrary to the belief in some quarters, the quality of the product remained the same across the world, adding that the concentrate syrup is exactly the same used all over the world.
“In Nigeria, we are using natural sugar. The difference is that the range of Coke we have in Nigeria is not as much as we have in America. But the truth is that Coke is the same everywhere in the world and our products in Nigeria are of the highest quality. On counterfeiting, it is not a huge problem to us. We have a robust tracking and monitoring system to ensure that our products are not counterfeiter”
Explaining that over 13,000 youths had benefitted from a scheme known as the Youth Empowered, the CSR country manager described the programme as an initiative designed by Coca-Cola Hellenic aimed at reducing the level of unemployment in Nigeria.
“We partner the government to ensure employment for the youth. That is the way we can ensure that the society is safe. We have been involved in a management trainee programme, which is one of the best in the country,” Eze said.

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