E-Business
International Women’s Day: How Coca-Cola is Championing Women Empowerment
The economic empowerment of women remains a burning issue in countries across the world. On International Women’s Day, a day set aside to celebrate the social, cultural, political and economic achievements of women, issues around women empowerment generally come to the fore.
In many parts of the world, women still face discrimination in areas of remuneration, education and governance. As a result, women are often labelled vulnerable with their lack of power, influence and access to economic resources.
Due to the harsh economic climate and unemployment rate in many parts of the world, it has become more desirable for households to have gainfully employed couples to contribute to the larger economy than to have homes with unemployed, full-time housewives.
Also, there has been an increase in single parenthood as many cultures are beginning to embrace the decision of women to raise their families single-handedly either by choice or circumstances. Whether they are breadwinners or not, women are entitled to their economic autonomy just as their male counterparts in order to care for their health, fend for their children and other dependents.
With the global awareness on women economic rights, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited recognizes the potential in women to make significant contributions to the economy. This conviction led to the birth of the “5by20” initiative, a Coca-Cola program designed to help uplift and empower five million female entrepreneurs – from fruit farmers and artisans, to recyclers and retailers – to become part of its value chain by 2020.
The initiative, which began in 2010 and ended in 2020, saw numerous projects funded by Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited along with its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company for the economic inclusion of over 450,000 women across the country. The women were equipped to overcome social and economic barriers through the provision of basic business skills, access to financial services and assets, connections with peers and mentors, along with the confidence that comes with building a thriving business. The 5by20 initiative targeted women in six segments of Coca Cola’s value chain: producers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, recyclers and artisans. As of 2019, over 4.6 million women in over 90 countries had started businesses as part of the 5by20 program.
Consistently, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company has leveraged diverse platforms to implement the 5by20 initiative to better fit local needs as well as make a greater impact using various platforms.
These include the IDP Women Value Chain Integration Programme which is a two-day micro-business empowerment scheme for over 50 internally displaced women.In addition, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and the United Kingdom Department for International Development of Girls Education launched the Educating Nigerian Girls in Nigeria Enterprise (ENGINE) Value Program aimed at strengthening the educational and economic opportunities of the Nigerian girl-child. Through the programme, Coca-Cola improved the learning outcomes and economic status of over 21,000 marginalised adolescent girls in Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos.
Another interesting intervention by Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited is The Lady Mechanic initiative which empowered about 100 girls in Benin through auto-mechanic skills capability development. Today, the initiative has broken the glass ceiling or gender barrier that is largely associated with the automobile profession which had been deemed by some as off-limits for women. The reality is that the empowered women under this initiative are all now employers of labour.
The SHAPE 2020 programme is yet another women empowerment program implemented by Whitefield Foundation, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and endorsed by Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation. With a $66,000 grant, the women-focused intervention trained and equipped “at-risk” and “underserved” women in local communities with transferable skills such as catering, cosmetics, fashion designing, soap-making, amongst others.
According to the World Health Organization in 2020, the maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is 814 per 100,000 live births, accounting for 20% of global maternal deaths. One of the contributing factors for this sad reality is the lack of access to quality and affordable health care facilities. In response to this dire situation, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited launched its Safe Birth Initiative to impact the lives of expectant mothers and their babies.
The Safe Birth Initiative is a social investment from Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited in partnership with Medshare International, the Federal Government through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, and the Federal Ministry of Health. The initiative seeks to support the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on maternal and neonatal mortality; with a key focus on improving the capacity of selected public hospitals through the procurement of vital maternal and neonatal medical equipment and training personnel in biomedical engineering to improve equipment maintenance and uptime, while reactivating a large stock of abandoned medical equipment wasting away in public hospitals.
For this project, Coca-Cola will donate a total of thirty-six 40ft containers of medical equipment, kits and supplies worth over N3.8b to tertiary hospitals like the Federal Medical Center Ebute Metta Lagos, Abuja National Hospital, Alimosho General Hospital, University Teaching Hospital Ilorin, Federal Medical Center Owerri, Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and many others. The initiative, through its partners, Medshare International has also trained over 150 technical staff in these health centres; with many others scheduled to be trained in 2021/2022.
The Coca-Cola Foundation, through the New World Program (NWP), has also awarded a grant worth $100,000 to the Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC) towards implementing a Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE).In the same vein, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its bottling partner, the Nigerian Bottling Company, have announced a collaboration aimed at empowering 1,000 women in Lagos State. The selected women received training in financial literacy and business skills as well as start-up capital to integrate them into the Coca-Cola value chain as retailers of the company’s beverage products.
While reflecting on these initiatives, the Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Alfred Olajide, reaffirms the importance of creating an economic model that empowers women and hinges on sustainability.
“Women constitute a significant part of the world’s shared success because we recognize their roles not just as homemakers and influencers but as drivers of economic growth and pillars of their communities and business systems.
“At Coca-Cola, we have initiated these numerous projects through partnerships with non-governmental organisations, women leaders and the government to improve the lives of women who participate in the 5by20 projects.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of these women has made a positive impact on the larger economy through our value chain whether as retailers, suppliers, producers, artisans and mentors”.
Women constitute a major pillar as part of Coca-Cola’s sustainability agenda, this is evident in the numerous initiatives highlighted. Through scalable models and powerful partnerships, Coca-Cola continues to facilitate the development of women while creating shared value for their host communities. With the results proving the efficacy of their programmes, there is no doubt that the company continues to live its purpose of refreshing the world and making a difference in the lives of many.
E-Business
Firm Discovered a New Corporate Phishing Technique using a Popular AI Web Development Platform
Kaspersky has discovered that attackers have begun exploiting another legitimate service for malicious purposes – this time it is Tencent EdgeOne Pages, a platform for creating and hosting web applications.
Attackers are misusing its capabilities to generate phishing emails targeting corporate users. Previously Kaspersky has described similar attacks leveraging Google services and web applications generated by Bubble, an AI-powered app builder, to hunt for corporate credentials.
Employees across multiple industries including the industrial sector, sales, and government are among the targets. The goal of the attack is to steal login credentials for corporate resources. Over the past 30 days, the company’s experts have detected more than 8,000 phishing emails using this tactic, including messages in English, Korean, and Russian.
The Tencent EdgeOne Pages service is positioned as a platform for quickly creating and deploying web applications using AI. Scammers misuse it to generate and publish phishing pages in minutes with virtually no web development skills.
Attackers host phishing pages on EdgeOne’s legitimate cloud infrastructure and use trusted domains. As a result, such sites appear to be established and secure to many protective solutions, complicating the detection of such attacks.
How the attack begins
The user receives an email from the alleged “corporate email support team”. The message states that the account login credentials will expire in 48 hours, and that failure to update them may result in problems receiving or sending emails.
To avoid restrictions, the user is prompted to click a link and enter relevant information. Phishing emails are not limited to this narrative, and could deliver any corporate message, such as a message from the HR department or a notification of a received document that should be downloaded.
Clicking the link in the email opens a page with a form for entering the victim’s name, email address, and password. It is a simple design, with virtually no additional elements.
After the user enters their login and password, the data is transferred to a server controlled by the attackers.
“We are seeing a continuation of the trend in which attackers use AI and no-code platforms as part of their phishing infrastructure. We’ve previously observed a similar scheme using the Bubble platform, and here we have yet another example.
“While the communication used in these phishing attacks is typical and has been used before multiple times, the attack technique itself significantly lowers the barrier to entry for attackers and accelerates the creation of phishing resources.
“Previously this required at least basic web development skills, but now an infrastructure for fraudulent emails can be created in minutes,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.
E-Business
Kaspersky Report Shows Early 2026 Witnessed an Increase in Cyberattacks on the Manufacturing Sector
According to a new Kaspersky ICS CERT report, in Q1 2026 the percentage of industrial control systems (ICS) on which malicious objects were blocked reached 19.6% globally. Kaspersky security solutions blocked malware from 10,052 different malware families of various categories on industrial automation systems.
Regionally, the share of ICS computers that were attacked ranged from 27.4% in Africa to 9.1% in Northern Europe. Compared to the previous quarter, attacks on the manufacturing sector in Q1 increased in multiple regions, including in Europe and Asia.
Regional split
In terms of overall numbers across all industry sectors, five regions saw an increase in the share of attacked ICS computers in Q1 2026 compared to the previous quarter. These were Southern Europe, Russia, Northern Europe, Canada and Africa.
Industries
In Q1, biometric systems traditionally placed first in terms of the share of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, at 26.4%. These systems commonly have Internet access, are used for email, and, in many cases, have minimal cybersecurity controls within the organisations that use these systems.
Regionally, Southern Europe leads the ranking based on the percentage figures for biometric systems, at 35.15%. Africa follows at 29.58%, and Central Asia comes in third at 28.53%.
In the manufacturing industry, Southeast Asia ranks first among regions in terms of the percentage of ICS computers attacked (23.21%), followed by Africa (21.36%) and South Asia (20.13%).
In 2025, Kaspersky and VDC Research estimated that in just the first three quarters of 2025 cyberattacks on manufacturing organisations via ransomware could have generated over $18 billion globally in losses. Actual business losses could have been even higher when factoring in supply-chain disruptions, reputational damage, and recovery expenses.
“Legacy operational technology systems remain deeply embedded in manufacturing environments, which makes them vulnerable. Supply chain complexity and branching of the trusted partner network expands the attack surface beyond the network perimeter.
Attackers are realising that targeting OT assets of an industrial enterprise is not rocket science, which is why factory shutdowns bring massive financial losses,” commented Evgeny Goncharov, Head of Kaspersky ICS CERT.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched the Meta-Supported Initiatives for Data Protection (M-SIDP), a strategic programme aimed at strengthening data privacy awareness, regulatory compliance and institutional capacity across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
The initiative follows the conclusion of regulatory proceedings involving Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, over concerns relating to the processing of personal data belonging to Nigerian users. The matter was resolved in 2025 through a court-approved settlement.
Under the agreement, Meta committed to supporting a two-year programme of public-facing data protection measures designed to advance the objectives of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act) 2023, the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID), and the NDPC Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2023–2027.
Announcing the initiative, the Commission said the programme would strengthen safeguards for data subjects while promoting responsible data processing practices among organisations operating in Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by Itunu Dosekun, head of the NDPC Media Unit, the programme will focus on governance, research and development, safety and sustainability mechanisms for technology ecosystems, capacity building for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs), as well as public awareness campaigns targeted at vulnerable groups.
The Commission stated, “As part of the settlement, Meta committed to supporting a two-year programme of public-facing data protection measures that aligns with the objectives of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), the NDP Act General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) and the NDPC Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2023–2027.”
The NDPC stressed that the settlement does not limit its regulatory authority.
“Nothing in this settlement limits the Commission’s independent statutory powers as we continue to exercise our regulatory mandate in relation to data processing activities in Nigeria, in accordance with the NDP Act and other applicable laws,” it stated.
The development comes amid rising global scrutiny of technology companies over data privacy practices, with regulators in regions including the European Union and the United States tightening enforcement against breaches and non-compliance.
Nigeria has also intensified efforts to strengthen its privacy framework following the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act in 2023, which established the NDPC as an independent regulator empowered to monitor compliance, investigate violations and impose sanctions.
Industry experts warn that increasing digital adoption across banking, telecommunications, e-commerce, healthcare and public services has heightened risks of identity theft, cybercrime and unauthorised data sharing.
The NDPC has in recent years stepped up enforcement actions against organisations that violate data protection rules, while also expanding accreditation for Data Protection Compliance Organisations and training for privacy professionals.
The Meta-supported initiative is expected to address gaps in public awareness and technical capacity, while also supporting research and policy development on emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, cross-border data transfers and platform governance.
The Commission said it would provide periodic updates on the implementation of the programme and called on stakeholders to support efforts to build a secure, transparent and accountable privacy ecosystem in Nigeria.
UK, Nigeria Launch £15m Growth Programme to Accelerate Economic Transformation
Haleon Introduces New Corporate Identity in Nigeria
Elon Musk Makes History as the World’s First Trillionaire
NITDA Unveils Ambitious Strategy to Turn Southwest into Nigeria’s Next Innovation Powerhouse
Airtel Africa Foundation Publishes Inaugural Annual Report
CBN Extends PoS Geo-Fencing Enforcement Deadline to August 2026
Jumia Nigeria Records Strong Q1 2026 Growth as Technology-Led Strategy Drives Market Expansion
NCC Drafts New Rules for Virtual Mobile Operators
TD Africa, HPE Drive Conversations on the Future of Intelligent Networking
Anthropic Raises $65 Bn to Expand AI Research, Innovation
Telecom3 days agoNDSF 2026: Teniola, Ebeledike Inducted into Hall of Fame as NiRA, MTN, Digital Realty sweep top honors
News3 days agoMobile Internet Gender Gap Widest in Africa – GSMA
Telecom3 days agoAirtel Africa Foundation Publishes Inaugural Annual Report
E-Financial3 days agoAccess Holdings Affirms Long-Term Value Strategy @ 4th AGM
Telecom3 days agoZoho Unveils Homegrown Server, Takes Bold Step Toward Tech Independence
General News3 days agoKaspersky Warns of “Grey” Scam Websites Exploiting User Trust
News2 days agoUK, Nigeria Launch £15m Growth Programme to Accelerate Economic Transformation
General News2 days agoHaleon Introduces New Corporate Identity in Nigeria