Cola, NBC win big at Brandcom 2021 awards

Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partners, The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), recently won the ‘Best Brand in Environmental Sustainability’ and the ‘Brand Leadership in Carbonated Soft Drink’ respectively at the third edition of the Brandcom Awards 2021.

Joshua Ajayi, publisher, Brand Communicator and convener of the Brandcom Awards, said the award is about celebrating and honouring brands, agencies, and notable individuals making significant strides in the brands and marketing industry in Nigeria. “Despite the challenging and changing times this year, some players continue to be outstanding and make an impact in the industry,” said Ajayi.

Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, the director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, said the awards encourages the brand’s unwavering commitment and appreciates Brand Communicator for the recognition given to the beverage company.

“This year marks our 70th anniversary in Nigeria. In that time we have worked hard in partnership with relevant stakeholders on both the marketing and sustainability pillars to put customer satisfaction first and also to ensure that the communities we serve and the environment we live in are suitable for socio-economic growth,” said Onyemelukwe.

According to her, Coca-Cola has so far donated over $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world, and with a vision to refresh the world and leave a legacy wherever it operates. She states that there has been extensive and deep impact felt across the globe where it operates, especially in Nigeria.

“In March 2021, The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded N303 million in grants to eight local NGOs, and so far, these NGOs have made great strides with their respective initiatives, and have reported significant impact numbers. Some of these initiatives are covered under key sustainability pillars of The Coca-Cola Company, which are Women, Water, Waste, and Wellbeing,” she said.

Speaking further on the brand, Onyemelukwe said some of the key initiatives for Coca-Cola that have been impactful this year include the Tech-Relevant Teacher Programme, which offers teacher training support and technologies for virtual learning across 200 low and middle-cost schools. “So far, the project has impacted over 24,000 children and 648 classroom teachers in a seven-month period”.

Also, the Youth Information Communication and Technology Skills Acquisition Project (YISAP) plans to impact the lives of over 600 youths, including persons living with disabilities, through the provision of vocational and entrepreneurial training. The initiative recently announced the training of over 200 entrepreneurs in Enugu. Worthy of note is the Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), an environmental sustainability and women empowerment initiative, which has recovered about 159,000kg of plastic waste in Ibeju Lekki, resulting in the economic empowerment of over 2000 women and youth in the coastal area of Lagos.