Dar es Salaam – More than 300 women food vendors from the Dar es Salaam region will be taking their businesses to the next level with the support of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa subsidiary, Coca-Cola Kwanza (CCK).

This year CCK will continue the successful programme that was started in 2021 where over 600 women food vendors benefitted. The women will receive business training and equipment aimed at helping them to grow their enterprises and increase their income.

In partnership with the Institute of Social Work, CCK will provide training in business skills, entrepreneurship, bookkeeping and capital growth, as well as 100 gas cylinders and two-plate stoves, drinks coolers and customer benches along with 300 branded aprons and t-shirts.

The handover ceremony took place today at the Institute of Social Work, attended by Hon. Salma R. Kikwete Chairperson of Women and Development Foundation (WAMA), Former First Lady and a member of Parliament for Constituent Mchinga, Araman Benoit, managing director of Oryx Gas Tanzania and CCK MD Unguu Sulay.

CCK has committed to empowering more than 1,100 women across its value chain by the end of 2023 as part of an economic inclusion initiative called Mwanamke Shujaa, which means “A Brave Woman”, with the aim of supporting women to take their rightful place in the economy.

“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,” said Sulay.

“We aim to create inclusive growth opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities by defining a consistent way of implementing economic inclusion programmes, drawing on leading practice for implementing our programmes.

“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 for our target groups, resulting in access to economic opportunities.

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

Oryx Gas Tanzania  MD Araman Benoit said his company was delighted to partner with CCK to empower woman entrepreneurs.

“Our economy can reach new heights if we successfully support more women to access opportunities for business growth. The Mwanamke Shujaa campaign is an inspiring example of how we can achieve this and we’re proud to be part of the campaign by providing the gas cylinders and stoves for these food vendors,” said Benoit.