Share

Community input important in big business contribution to Africa's water challenges - Coca-Cola executive

Even though big companies may have funds they are willing to apply towards the process of trying to find solutions to water challenges in Africa, it is very important to have input from communities before embarking on any interventions.

According to Dorcas Onyango, head of sustainability at Coca-Cola in Southern and East Africa, this is one of the lessons the company has learnt from its water projects on the continent.

She took part in a panel discussion at Africa Utility Week taking place in Cape Town this week on the topic of best practice when it comes to addressing water challenges on the continent. Coca-Cola Africa is partnering with African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to gather critical inputs and insights at the event from leaders in the water sector to help understand how the company and other corporates can address Africa's water security.

"It is important to establish what the needs are and to understand how water is used in communities. What they might need from us could be capacity building in terms of best practice," she explained.

"It is also good to look at who addresses has been able to address water challenges better than you and then incorporating those best practices by building on your own strength to make a bigger impact."

In her view, the private sector is by nature able to be more adaptable when approaching water management.

"For Coca-Cola it is critical how we use water in our factories. We are looking at how we can address the use of water for all in in the long run, for instance by starting water funds," she said.

According to Onyango, Coca-Cola has made significant strides in improving its water-use ratio over the past ten years. It recently announced that 3 million more people across Africa have improved access to safe water under its Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN).

"However, we have much more to do, particularly as water demand and climatic challenges add pressure to managing this precious resource. We believe in solutions based on collective thinking and collaboration, which is why it is so important that we work with partners like African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to find solutions that corporates can meaningfully contribute to," said Onyango.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.89
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.87
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders