Nigerian Bottling Company thrills Abeokuta Youths with its Youth Empowered Initiative

L-R: Public Affairs Manager (Lagos/West), Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), Ifeoma Okoye; Director, Employment Generation, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Abdulhakeem Ashimi; Public Affairs and Communication Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, Ekuma Eze; External Communications Manager, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, Olatomiwa Akande and Programme Facilitator, Sam Obafemi during the Nigerian Bottling Company Limited Youth Empowered Workshop held in Abeokuta yesterday. It was a fun-filled learning experience for the Youths of Abeokuta as they participated in the 3-day basic life and business skills workshop of the Nigerian Bottling Company, Nigeria’s non-alcoholic beverage giant.The company kick-started the 2019 series of the Youth Empowered workshop in Abeokuta on May 21, 2019 at the Providence Event Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State with the aim to equip youths with necessary practical skills to become more competitive in tackling youth unemployment in the country.

The initiative which received commendation from the Ogun State Government witnessed a large turnout of over 750 registered participants, a large host of dignitaries including government officials, key stakeholders in the education sector in the state, non-governmental organizations, facilitators, mentors, youth leaders amongst others.Speaking at the workshop, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Ogun State who was represented by the Director, Employment Generation of the Ministry, Mr. Abdulhakeem Ashimi described the initiative as highly commendable, well thought-out and complementary to government’s effort in reducing unemployment through its numerous programs for the youth.“The problem of persistent youth unemployment requires combined efforts of the public and private sectors for any meaningful and sustainable impact to be achieved. We believe government alone should not be left to tackle the issue of unemployment in Nigeria, the private sector has a big role to play” he said.

Speaking on the initiative, the Public Affairs and Communications Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Mr. Ekuma Eze described the investment in the Youth Empowered initiative as a clear demonstration of the company’s belief in the Nigerian youths who have over time shown and exhibited a can-do spirit despite the challenges they are faced with.Eze explained that the initiative was designed to assist the youth to harness their potentials in a manner that would enhance their productivity and make them fit and competitive in the workplace environment. While calling on all interested youths all over the country to also participate in the programme by registering for the free online version of the program at http://bit.ly/2VMlv8r.

In response to the training received, several participants thanked the management of the company for availing them the opportunity to partake in this global initiative commending the quality of trainers and mentors which they were able to connect with. They expressed delight at how the training would help put them at par with their counterparts around the globe.The workshop which is the eight Nigerian edition is part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic global initiative designed to support over 500,000 young unemployed people globally between the ages of 18-30 by 2020, to build life and business skills and long-lasting networks that would translate to meaningful employment and self-sufficiency.