General News
Project Equip: Coca-Cola Sets to Empower 20,000 Women and Youths in Kano State
The Coca-Cola Foundation, in partnership with Whitefield Foundation, registered non-profit enterprise, has officially launched Project EQUIP in Kano State.
L-R: Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited; Hon. Kabiru Ado Lakwaya, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Kano State; Mrs Funmi Johnson, CEO/Founder, Whitefield Foundation; Alhaji Abdullahi Lamido Sanusi, Dala District Head [representing the Emir of Kano], and Ekuma Eze, Director, Corporate Affairs and Communications, Nigerian Bottling Company, during the launch of the Project EQUIP initiative funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation, in Kano State, yesterday.
The “Project EQUIP” initiative is being championed by the philanthropic arm of the leading beverage company in partnership with the Kano State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Medshare International Inc. and Engineering World Health.
Following the initial launch in Lagos in November the project seeks to ensure the economic empowerment of 20,000 women and youth in Kano, as well as thousands across Lagos, Abuja, Benin, and Owerri, totalling 60,000 beneficiaries.
The initiative will adopt an integrative and hybrid approach towards youth and women empowerment to teach transformative skills and knowledge; improve the standard of living across target communities, show and lead participants into new ways of economic growth and set the lives of the participants on a sustainable growth trajectory.
According to Saadia Madsbjerg, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the project’s official launch in Kano signals a commitment to remedying socio-economic problems identified within the region, especially around skill acquisition and financial inclusion. According to her, the initiative seeks to drive women empowerment and youth development in vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
“We are particularly proud to finally launch Project EQUIP in Kano State,” she said. “It is no secret that we believe the Kano community will benefit greatly from this initiative, considering the recent developments and trends with regards to the lack of opportunities for women and youth to break the cycle of poverty through transformative skills.”
Speaking at the event, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, added:
“Northern Nigeria is dear to us for many reasons. Just last year, we donated medical equipment worth billions of naira to the Aminu Kano Medical Centre through the Safe Birth Initiative which ensures the reduction in child and maternal deaths in the North.
“This year, we plan to tackle another stress area, particularly employability and skill acquisition in the State.
“Our interest in the North extends beyond the bottom-line benefit, which is why we continue to invest heavily in Kano State, the Northern Nigeria region, and its people.”
In Nigeria, the UN posits that women and girls make up more than half of the population but still do not have sufficient access nor opportunities to realise their full potential as agents of change who can provide solutions to some of the country’s most pressing issues.
The latest data also shows that 47.3% of Nigerians, or 98 million people, live in multidimensional poverty, with most of them located in Northern Nigeria.
According to Funmi Johnson, CEO of Whitefield Foundation, the initiative will open ‘a door of opportunities for the women and youth of Kano, while preventing them from venturing into detrimental means of gaining financial autonomy.’
Kabiru Ado Lakwaya, the Commissioner of the Kano State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, also present at the event, lauded the potential impact of the initiative, adding that it will help progress the State’s development and ensure sustained economic growth.
The launch of Project EQUIP sees Coca-Cola press on with its quest to engineer positive change across underserved communities in Nigeria. With partnerships, grants and investments worth millions of dollars, the company has recorded significant feats across its key sustainability pillars including Women Empowerment and Youth Development, Water Stewardship, Waste, and Wellbeing.
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) in advancing pension reforms and ensuring greater compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
Omolola Oloworaran, Director General, PenCom, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit to Festus Osifo, the TUC President, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Oloworaran highlighted the critical role of the TUC as a member of PenCom’s Governing Board, stressing that the relationship between both organisations remained central to the sustainability of the CPS. She proposed more structured stakeholder engagements with the labour union to strengthen compliance among employers of labour across the country.
The PenCom DG reminded employers of their obligations under the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 to remit pension contributions on behalf of employees. She urged the TUC to support enforcement efforts, noting that timely remittances were essential to guaranteeing workers’ financial security in retirement.
On ongoing reforms, Oloworaran disclosed that PenCom would soon unveil a revised Investment Regulation to expand opportunities in alternative investments and mitigate the impact of inflation on pension assets.
She also revealed that the Commission was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance on mechanisms to enable pension investments in naira but generate returns in dollars, thereby strengthening the value of retirement savings.
In addition, she announced that PenCom would soon introduce a minimum pension guarantee for all retirees under the CPS, backed by President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a ₦758 billion bond to fund the Pension Protection Fund.
Responding, TUC Festus Osifo commended PenCom for its professionalism and efficiency, describing the Commission as one of Nigeria’s best-performing institutions. He also recounted his personal experience with PenCom staff in the pension industry, praising their integrity and dedication.
Osifo pledged the union’s continued support for PenCom, particularly in driving compliance among employers. He criticised companies that deduct pension contributions without remitting them, warning that such practices erode retirement benefits and often lead to industrial disputes.
He further called for a review of the PRA 2014 to introduce greater flexibility in pension fund investments to protect workers’ savings from inflation and currency pressures.
The meeting ended with both parties resolving to deepen stakeholder engagements and strengthen the CPS as a safeguard for Nigerian workers’ future.
Mastercard has deepened its strategic partnership with Smile ID, a leading African identity verification provider, to accelerate the deployment of secure digital identity solutions across the continent.
This collaboration aims to empower banks, fintechs, mobile money operators, and enterprises to onboard customers swiftly and securely—reducing identity fraud and expanding financial access.
The partnership integrates Mastercard’s global identity technology and insights with Smile ID’s advanced data verification and fraud detection capabilities.
Together, they offer instant, secure onboarding across African markets; enhanced fraud prevention, including synthetic identity detection; compliance with KYC and AML regulations; and scalable solutions for cross-border commerce.
With Africa’s digital economy projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, trusted identity solutions are essential to unlocking opportunity. Rising smartphone penetration further underscores the need for secure, accessible identity verification across digital channels.
Smile ID’s integrations with local governments and trusted data sources provide near real-time onboarding and pan-African reach—making this partnership uniquely positioned to tackle fragmented identity systems and drive digital inclusion.
As part of the agreement, Mastercard has made a minority investment in Smile ID, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusion in Africa. This move builds on Mastercard’s five-decade legacy of supporting African governments, businesses, and communities.
“This partnership with Smile ID is a pivotal step in advancing digital trust and inclusion across Africa,” said Selin Bahadirli, Executive Vice President, Services, Mastercard EEMEA.
“Smile ID’s innovative platform complements Mastercard’s mission to foster secure and inclusive digital ecosystems.”
“Synthetic identity fraud is costing African banks and lenders hundreds of millions annually,” added Mark Straub, CEO of Smile ID.
“By joining forces with Mastercard, we can help onboard the next 300 million African users securely—in seconds.”
Abba Aliyu, the Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), says the agency has provided electricity access to about eight million Nigerians out of the 90 million people said to be without electricity supply.
He stated that the electricity provision was made under the Nigeria Electrification Project in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to close the energy deficit gap. He added that the agency planned to ensure that many more Nigerian benefit from the scheme in 2025.
Aliyu said: “There are reports that many Nigerians don’t have access to electricity. But under the Nigeria Electrification Project, we have provided electricity to eight million Nigerians. We also have a programme that is targeting 17.5 million people. So, in three years 17.5 million people will also be out of darkness.
“We are currently working on deploying 42 interconnected mini-grids, and six have already been completed in Osun, Plateau, Cross River, and Niger State. “We are moving away from the traditional concept of government issuing contracts. What we are doing is incentivising the private sector to deploy infrastructure.
This ensures sustainability because they have their own money at stake.” He added: “It is a myth to continuously think that government infrastructure is deployed and not working. The projects we are deploying, more especially those under the private sector, are working.
“Part of the discussion during the President’s visit to Japan was a $190m co-financing agreement with JICA for the distributed access programme. That will provide electricity to an additional 1.83 million Nigerians.
“Before this administration, the country only had 120 megawatts of solar assembly capacity. Today, we have over 600 megawatts, and with new projects signed, Nigeria will soon hit close to three gigawatts. This shows that dependence on imported panels is being reversed.”
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