On Friday it was announced that Coca-Cola and USAID will launch a $1.5m clean water and sanitation project across various parts of Ghana. They also hope to improve access to these areas. Coca-Cola is a keen advocate for sanitation and public health; they have launched similar initiatives in Egypt, China, Brazil, Vietnam and various other African nations. Earlier this year, they spent one million dollars buying and distributing treated mosquito nets in the Eastern region. They have also initiated various malaria and HIV education and prevention programmes over the years.
This project was announced at a Coca-Cola 'media soiree' in Kumasi; the first of many meetings with journalists designed to keep the public well informed of their activities. According to Philippe Ayivor, Franchise Manager of Coca-Cola Equatorial Africa, "40 per cent of the Ghanaian population lacks access to safe drinking water and 80 per cent lacks access to basic sanitation facilities." This, he told Ghana News Agency, is bound to have a negative impact on the country's development. "It is therefore important", he continued, "that we bring the health needs of the people to the fore for the appropriate attention and focus".
I can't help but feel that on some level it is slightly strange (to put it mildly) that Coca-Cola has decided to focus on public health given that their drink is what it is, but I suppose the same could be said about many other corporate giants. Of course it's nice to see them giving back to society.
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