Leveraging on Youths Focused Initiatives

Raheem Akingbolu harps on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to Return on Investment (RoI), citing the example of how the Coca Cola brand has, over the years, leveraged youths focused initiatives to drive sales and win more consumers.

August 12 is a date set aside annually by the United Nations as “International Day of the Youth,” to acknowledge and celebrate the role young men and women play in creating change in society by tackling global issues with sustainable solutions.

Today, young people all over the world hold vital and insightful positions working towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related frameworks. This can be seen in the zeal in which the young generation optimises every opportunity available to create value. The international community bears witness to this unprecedented mobilization around the world, which has shown the measure of power and influence the youth can wield in holding decision-makers accountable for the transformation required.

Gitanjali Rao was only 11 years old when she invented a lead detecting device to help with the Flint water crisis. She is currently 15 and has been recognized by Time, BBC and Forbes for creating devices to solve world problems and inspiring others to do so. Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzi are world influencers and voices to respect in the areas of climate activism and education advocacy respectively. Betta Mussa and her team of accountability advocates in Tanzania, are using data to influence local leaders to engage young people in decision making.

Nigeria is not alien to this transformative disruption and has visibly seen the laudable efforts and recorded accomplishments of some young Nigerians, which have contributed both directly and indirectly to the growth of the country’s social and economic capital. However, in a country with a population of about 200 million people, of which 53.7 per cent are aged 15 to 65, the level of unemployment is currently at an all-time high at 33 per cent. There is a vacuum in the utilisation of human capacity available in the country.

This gap is what the Coca Cola brand seeks to close by employing several innovative initiatives to drive the engagement and empowerment of the Nigerian youth. Its management recognises the significance of International Day of the Youth as it raises awareness on the need for young people to have access to education, healthcare, employment, empowerment, and complete participation in public life. These rights are being upheld and emphasised in the company’s sustainable empowerment projects. This is a culture that has been enshrined in the company’s corporate strategy and sustainability journey which started as far back as 1917 when the company partnered with the Red Cross. This is a partnership that has grown into a commitment of more than a decade, supporting underserved communities in need through blood drives, volunteering, disaster relief and much more.

The Coca-Cola System – through several impactful projects that cater to wellbeing, climate action, recycling and waste management, women and youth economic empowerment, among others – have continued to lead the way with regards to youth development in Nigeria.

The system has launched several youth-focused initiatives which have recorded giant strides, some of which include Copa Coca-Cola – an under-15 grassroots football development programme launched in 2009, providing an opportunity for young football players and aspiring football professionals to develop and showcase their talents in competitive matches. More than 10,000 players, from 500 schools and 50 celebrity football coaches have participated in the programme reaching the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja for eight years.

In Nigeria, the brand is also one of the longest-running corporate sponsors of Special Olympics Nigeria (SON) since the initiative was launched in Nigeria in 2006. This follows the footsteps of The Coca-Cola Company that has remained a founding Partner of Special Olympics since 1928 creating smiles and making a difference in the lives of these special and unique people.

Youth Empowered for Success! Nigeria (YES! Nigeria) is another equally laudable initiative funded by the philanthropic arm of the company, The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by WAVE academy and Mercy Corps. YES! is a social enterprise preparing and matching young people to entry-level jobs in the retail and hospitality sectors. This programme was implemented across 96 hubs, established in five (5) countries including Nigeria impacting over 25,000 youths who were engaged, trained over 20,000 youths with 2,800+ opportunities created for 3 years (2015- 2018).
YES! was a testing path to scale for formal entry-level job placement through partnerships with replicators, including the National Youth Service Corps and Ministries of Education in Kano and Lagos.

There are strong synergies between YES! and the brand’s bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company’s existing Youth Empowerment project (YE) which targets young graduates to support them build life skills, business skills, transition to meaningful employment & long-lasting networks.

These programs complement each other: while YES! Nigeria targets more vulnerable youth, the Youth Empowerment targets university graduates.

Under the YE framework, over 30,000+ Graduates of tertiary institutions have benefited from training programmes designed to boost entry-level job linkages to multi corporations for beneficiaries across 10 states of the federation including FCT, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Enugu, Ogun (Abeokuta) and Cross River (Calabar).

Other youth-focused programs funded under The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by multiple NGOs includes Youth ICT and Skill Acquisition Project (YISAP), Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), Waste in the City, Waste to Wealth, Trash to Cash, SHAPE and many other environmental-driven initiatives. These projects are targeted at building a new generation of sustainability changemakers to drive the required behavioural change to create a better-shared future. A total of over 10,000 youths and women are to be economically empowered under these initiatives thereby closing the unemployment and poverty gap in Nigerian society.

The company has a lasting commitment to building sustainable communities. It has undoubtedly set itself apart as a company focused on initiatives that promote the wellbeing and economic development of communities across the world.

Through youth education and engagement, the company has continued to provide platforms for youth to excel while gaining the momentum requiredto make their impact in society. The company recognises the relevance of prioritising the Nigerian youth as fundamental contributors and partners of change, and this is evident in its commitment to making a difference of one project at a time.