A thousand public high school students will be equipped with skills for the future through a project called Girls Can Code in partnership with Honeywell and iCog Anyone Can Code in Ethiopia.

The students will receive training in basic computer and programming skills, creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for them after the completion of their training. In addition, the training will also oversee the Training of Trainers (ToT) of 40 teachers allowing them to update their knowledge and improve their income by taking on more responsibilities.

Another partnership MOU has been signed with Efoy Nanny Housekeeping services, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Ethiopia will provide a three month training program for 50 unemployed women to equip them with childcare skills and the opportunity to find work.

CCBA formalized its support for these programs by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) last week.

CCBA in Ethiopia Managing Director Daryl Wilson said the company used its industry leadership to be part of the solution, to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for the planet.

“Our aim is to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities we serve across the value-chain. Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent.

“We understand that our business can only thrive when the communities we serve thrive too. Investing in communities ensures our business sustainability. Most of all, we are all Africans and are part of our communities,” said Wilson.

“We aim to create inclusive growth opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities by defining a consistent way of implementing economic inclusion program across our markets drawing on leading practice for implementing our program. At the same time, we will seek to harness the impact of our economic inclusion initiatives to solve business challenges.

“We identify skills development opportunities to grow businesses through entrepreneurship, and use collaboration and advocacy, while tapping into external funding sources or partnerships where possible, to promote employability.

“Our entrepreneurship program focus on initiatives that provide our target groups with the opportunity to take an existing business to a higher level of operation. Our employability program focus on program that up-skill, re-skill or provide other opportunities that enhance our target group’s prospects of finding sustainable employment.

“The success of these program will be defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock sustainable earning potential, improve skills, and business knowledge, resulting in access to economic opportunities,” said Wilson.

“Whether donating money, our time or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously.”

The new President of the World Bank Group will be visiting Ethiopia for two days to meet with top government officials, starting from Monday July 31, 2023. Ajay Banga, an Indian American global financial leader who started his five-year term on June 2, this year, will meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide, and Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, Mamo Mihretu.

Despite the reluctance of some global partners to support Ethiopia in connection with the northern Ethiopia conflict, the World Bank has continued its partnership. PM Abiy recently expressed appreciation for the World Bank’s support for social and economic development in the country, as budget support expected from international partners has been eroded.

During his visit, Banga will focus on identifying opportunities to create jobs for young people and women. He will also visit textile and shoe manufacturing facilities, malt production operations with ties to local farmers, and meet with women small business owners. In addition to meeting with government officials, Banga will meet with CEOs and business leaders as part of an effort to increase private sector investment.

Banga will also meet with the African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to discuss ways to strengthen partnerships and collaborations between the World Bank and the African Union. Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Mohamed Gouled, International Finance Corporation Vice President for Industries, will accompany Banga on the trip. After visiting Ethiopia, Banga will travel to Nigeria, following earlier tour stops in Peru, Jamaica, and India.

Besides business, our company, CCBA-Ethiopia, highly values the overall development of the community in every aspect. One of its pillars is prioritizing in making our continent a better place for all. Hence, it has launched and carried out a range of initiatives in economic inclusion, water replenishment, and waste management: World without Waste.

With more than six decades of industry leadership, CCBA-Ethiopia is committed to fostering the development of young people and women empowerment, entrepreneurship, and employability opportunities, community build-up programs, safe neighborhoods, and small domestic companies. It creates prospects for stable employment and income for its targeted recipients through direct investments, partnerships, or outsourced funding.

As part of CCBA’s economic inclusion initiatives, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Ethiopia graduated a group of 50 hearing-impaired youths and women after a compressive training program to enable them become masters in bamboo crafts, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and employability. The graduation ceremony was held at the Friendship International Hotel, Bole Road, Addis Abeba.

The “Signs of Success”, a three-month training program, aimed at creating a sustainable income for the disabled through skills development. The trainees learned how to make homeware, including chairs, tables, beds, sofas, baskets, and flowerpots, allowing them to become socially and economically self-reliant.

The project was done in partnership with Association for the Rehabilitation of Girls, non-governmental organization, which also helped the trainees to develop entrepreneurship and employability skills.

CCBA-Ethiopia used its industry leadership to be part of the solution to the country, to achieve positive change in the world, and to build a more sustainable future for the planet, said Daryl Wilson CCBA-Ethiopia managing director.

“Our aim is to create greater shared opportunity across the value chain for our business and the communities we serve. Opportunity is about a better future for individuals and their communities everywhere on the African continent, not just about money,” he adds.

CCBA-Ethiopia, in particular, promotes inclusive growth opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities by defining a consistent way of economic inclusion programs across our markets and drawing on a leading practice to execute our programmes. At the same time, we will seek to harness the impact of our economic inclusion initiatives to solve business challenges.

“We understand that the success of our company depends on the success of the communities we serve. Investing in communities ensures our business sustainability. Most of all, we are all Africans and are part of our respective communities,” said Wilson.

One of our key strategies for implementing economic inclusion programs is to identify skill development opportunities to assist women and young people in starting and growing businesses through entrepreneurship. To promote employability, we also use collaboration and advocacy, utilising external funding sources or partnerships when possible.

Our entrepreneurship programs focus on initiatives that provide our target groups with the opportunity to take an existing business to a higher level of operation, while employability programs focus on up-skilling, re-skilling, or other opportunities that improve our target group’s chances of finding sustainable employment.

Signs of Success project is included in the entrepreneurship programs we provide.The success of these programmes will be defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock sustainable earning potential, improve skills, and business knowledge, resulting in access to economic opportunities.

“We earnestly take our responsibility to give back to the communities we call home, whether it is through financial, time, or skill contributions,” said Wilson.