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
82% of Organizations Concerned about AI Risks Even as Adoption Accelerates – Survey Reveals
At its recent Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region Kaspersky shared the results of a global study conducted by its internal research center which surveyed 1,800 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers and specialists from organisations across 18 countries and multiple industries.
The report shows that the pace of AI integration across organisations is rapid, despite associated risks. The company’s experts stressed that while AI adoption delivers clear efficiency gains, it must be accompanied by robust cybersecurity solutions, well-defined internal procedures, and comprehensive employee education programmes.
The report highlights a clear organisational preference for AI-enhanced technology: 68% of respondents said they would recommend a solution with AI features built in, while a mere 5% indicated they would prefer to avoid AI-enabled tools. This overwhelming endorsement underscores how deeply AI has embedded itself as a value driver across the modern enterprise.
AI has become a mainstream productivity tool spanning many business functions. The global survey findings confirm that employees across departments are already relying on AI tools for a wide range of everyday tasks, including: data analysis & visualisation (54%), project management (49%), search for information (47%), department-specific tasks (46%), text generation and editing (41%).
While organisations recognise the tangible benefits AI tools bring – including improved process efficiency and enhanced quality of deliverables – they also see the associated dangers. 82% of respondents voiced concerns about the risks AI poses to their organisation. These concerns are grounded in real-world experience.
Among the 87% of organisations worldwide that faced a cyber incident in the past year, 13% reported that they had experienced threats stemming specifically from AI-related vulnerabilities.
Notably, 74% of respondents believe that these risks can be effectively mitigated through employees’ responsible behaviour — pointing to the critical importance of security awareness and training in the AI era.
“The speed at which organisations are embracing AI is remarkable, but it must be matched with an equally strong commitment to security. We are already seeing a growing range of threats directly tied to AI adoption – whether it’s malware camouflaged as popular AI tools, vulnerabilities introduced through unsecure vibecoding, or leaked access credentials to corporate AI platforms and malicious skills by AI agents.
Managing these risks requires a holistic approach: the right technology, well-defined procedures, and a security-aware workforce,” comments Brandon Muller, senior security consultant for the META region at Kaspersky.
E-Business
How Temu Helped a Madagascan Vanilla Family Business Sell Direct to Consumers Across Europe
Malagasy Vanilla has transformed its decades-old wholesale business by embracing direct-to-consumer sales through Temu, enabling the family-run company to reach customers in 14 European markets while significantly reducing logistics costs.
For years, premium Madagascan vanilla supplier Malagasy Vanilla sold exclusively to restaurants, bakeries and wholesalers because the cost of shipping a single pack to individual customers often equalled the value of the product itself. That changed after the company joined Temu’s Local Seller Program in November 2025.
The Belgian-based business, which sources high-quality vanilla from Madagascar, has leveraged Temu’s logistics network to cut domestic shipping costs by nearly half through a partnership with Belgian postal operator Bnode. The move has enabled the company to enter the retail market for the first time and quadruple its sales within four months.
According to Belinda Rabenandrasana, co-Chief Executive Officer of Malagasy Vanilla, Temu has opened up an entirely new customer segment for the company.
“Temu opened a new avenue for us,” she said. “We were finally able to explore selling to individuals.”
The platform now contributes between five and 10 per cent of the company’s overall revenue.
Expansion into 14 European Markets
Malagasy Vanilla is among businesses participating in Temu’s Local Seller Program, launched in Europe in 2024 to help local merchants expand beyond their domestic markets.
Through partnerships with more than 150 logistics providers across Europe—including Bnode in Belgium, La Poste in France and DHL Group in Germany—Temu offers sellers access to affordable shipping and delivery infrastructure without requiring major investment in logistics.
After successfully establishing direct-to-consumer sales in Belgium, Malagasy Vanilla expanded into 14 European countries, including Germany, France, Spain and Poland.
Rabenandrasana said the logistics support, competitive shipping rates and seller assistance provided by Temu made the expansion possible.
“Without Temu and its partnership with Bnode, it would have been very difficult for a small business like ours to start selling directly to consumers,” she said.
She added that Temu also assists sellers in managing regulatory requirements such as the European Union’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance, making cross-border operations easier for small businesses.
Three Generations of Vanilla Expertise
Malagasy Vanilla traces its roots to three generations of the Rabenandrasana family in Madagascar’s vanilla industry.
Belinda’s grandfather began trading vanilla locally, while her father expanded operations across Madagascar. She launched the company’s international business in 2017, supplying premium Madagascan vanilla to European restaurants, pastry shops and food wholesalers before establishing operations in Belgium in 2023.
The company partners with growers and producer associations in Madagascar, where between 20 and 40 workers oversee the six- to 10-month curing process that transforms green vanilla pods into premium black vanilla.
Operations in Belgium focus on packaging, quality assurance and distribution.
Customer Reviews Drive Growth
Under its Lavani brand, Malagasy Vanilla sells gourmet-grade whole vanilla pods targeted at both professional chefs and home baking enthusiasts.
Rather than relying heavily on paid advertising, the company has benefited from Temu’s product discovery tools and customer reviews, helping the niche brand gain visibility organically.
According to Rabenandrasana, strong customer feedback has played a significant role in increasing traffic and boosting sales.
The brand currently maintains a customer review rating exceeding 99 per cent on the platform.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Malagasy Vanilla plans to expand its European footprint further by establishing a warehouse in France and increasing sales across the continent.
The company is also developing new products, including vanilla extract and vanilla sugar, while planning to open a physical retail and production facility in Belgium later this year.
In addition, it intends to launch a social-impact initiative aimed at supporting vanilla-growing communities in Madagascar.
Reflecting on the company’s evolution, Rabenandrasana said the business continues to build on her family’s legacy.
“My grandfather worked locally, my father expanded nationally, and now we are building internationally,” she said.
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s digital economy have urged the Federal Government to review its partnership with global recruitment platform Hello.cv under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, citing concerns over data security, digital sovereignty and the country’s “Nigeria First” policy.
3MTT
The concerns follow the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s announcement on May 6 of a 10 million-dollar partnership with Hello.cv aimed at increasing the global visibility of Nigerian technology professionals.
Under the initiative, 20,000 selected 3MTT fellows will receive a global professional profile package, including an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered job search agent, a professional curriculum vitae (CV) writer and a personal .cv domain, valued at 500 dollars per participant.
While stakeholders acknowledged the programme’s potential to improve global employment opportunities for Nigerian tech talent, they expressed concerns about the implications of hosting participants’ digital identities and data on a foreign domain.
Chief Executive Officer of Cyberchain and Global Digital Economy Strategist, Engr. Jude Ozinegbe, said the arrangement raised important questions about data ownership and jurisdiction.
According to him, registering domains under an entity outside Nigeria gives that entity a degree of control over activities associated with the domain.
“When you register your domain under a different entity outside your jurisdiction, that entity will have access to whatever is happening within that domain.
“In the long run, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) may have to examine the agreement and assess the security implications of such domain ownership,” he said.
Ozinegbe urged the NDPC to review the security protocols employed by Hello.cv to ensure compliance with Nigeria’s data protection regulations.
Also speaking, Ugonma Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an information and communications technology and data protection firm, said the security of data belonging to 20,000 fellows should be of significant interest to regulators.
She noted that while the ministry had the authority to determine how the programme was implemented, there was a need for greater transparency regarding the handling of participants’ personal information.
“The NDPC requires its registered Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) to subscribe to the .ng domain.
“If a government ministry permits trainees to operate on a foreign domain, then the commission should examine the arrangement because we are dealing with the data of 20,000 Nigerians,” she said.
Egwuatu also called for clarity on how data generated through the platform would be processed, stored and protected.
“There should be explanations regarding the backend. What are they doing with the data of people who visit these sites? Why use a foreign domain instead of the .ng domain? These are legitimate questions that deserve answers,” she said.
She added that government should ensure appropriate third-party agreements and safeguards were in place before implementing such initiatives.
On his part, Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa, Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, said the objectives of the programme could still have been achieved while leveraging Nigeria’s country code top-level domain.
According to him, Hello.cv could have registered a hello.cv.ng or hellocv.ng domain in collaboration with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
“The .ng domain can conveniently accommodate such a platform. If Hello.cv intends to onboard millions of Nigerians, it can work with NiRA to create a local domain structure.
“That way, the investment remains within Nigeria, strengthens the digital economy and supports local internet infrastructure,” he said.
Akinbo argued that excluding the .ng domain from the initiative undermined Nigeria’s digital identity and sovereignty.
“As good as the programme may sound, leaving the .ng domain outside this engagement and taking Nigerian data outside the country’s digital jurisdiction is not the best approach,” he said.
Also commenting, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Precise Financial Systems Ltd., Yele Okeremi, stressed the importance of ensuring that investments in Nigeria’s digital economy create long-term domestic value.
According to him, building a sustainable technology ecosystem requires more than developing skilled professionals.
“Investment, particularly in technology and the knowledge economy, is not just about having smart people.
“It is also about who owns the infrastructure and who ultimately benefits from the value created. Nigeria must ensure it retains as much of that value as possible,” he said.
Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Muhammed Rudman, described the use of foreign domains for a government-sponsored initiative as inconsistent with efforts to promote Nigeria’s digital economy.
“I don’t know where this idea came from, but it is unpatriotic for Nigerian companies funded by Nigerian resources to adopt .cv domains instead of .ng.
“Global companies such as Google register country-specific domains like google.ng when operating locally. Registering 20,000 additional .ng domains would improve Nigeria’s online visibility and strengthen the local internet ecosystem,” he said.
Rudman urged the Federal Government to support indigenous digital infrastructure by encouraging the use of the .ng domain.
The 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme is a flagship initiative of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy aimed at equipping Nigerians with globally relevant digital skills.
The programme provides free training in areas including software development, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, machine learning, animation, DevOps and user interface/user experience design through a hybrid learning model.
Stakeholders maintained that while the partnership with Hello.cv could expand international employment opportunities for Nigerian technology professionals, greater attention should be paid to safeguarding the country’s digital assets, promoting local internet infrastructure and ensuring compliance with Nigeria’s data protection framework.
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