Coca-Cola empowers Zimbabwe women

Coca-Cola empowers Zimbabwe women
Published: 21 July 2014
Coca-Cola's assistant brand manager Vee Sibanda says at least 1,300 Zimbabwean female entrepreneurs have been empowered under its 5by20 empowerment programme.

The programme seeks to address the most common barriers women face in the market place. The initiative offers women access to business skills training course, financial services and connections with peers and mentors.

Speaking at a Coca-Cola campaign held in the city yesterday under its goal of economically equipping business skills to five million women entrepreneurs by 2020 across its global value chain, Sibanda said most women lacked skills to succeed in business.

"We have so far registered 1,300 from different parts of the country Manicaland, Harare and the Southern region," she said.

"Women are marginalised and as such they do not have access to knowledge that can assist in running businesses," she said.

The campaign mostly targeted female entrepreneurs under the Coca-Cola value chain.

At hand to impart the skills were different trainers with business skills on finance handling, customer care and product handling.

The programme is a global campaign that began last year in August in Zimbabwe under Coca-Cola but with assistance from bottling companies like Delta, Schweppes and Mutare Bottlers.

Coca-Cola Zimbabwe is targeting to have empowered at least 2,000 women by the end of this year.

"We started this programme of empowering women under our value chain and our next step is to reach out to every woman in Zimbabwe," said Sibanda.

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority client care personnel Maud Muzavazi yesterday encouraged women entrepreneurs to register their businesses as failure to do so is an offence.

Muzavazi said it was crucial for small businesses to abide by the country's laws.

"Businesses should be registered with Zimra to avoid unnecessary penalties which end up crippling the businesses," she said.
- chronicle
Tags: Coca-Cola,

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