Coca-Cola has announced that it would be re-opening its Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), having been disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown.
The company said it will roll out the Bizniz-in-a-Box tuck shops to unemployed youths who want to start their own businesses.
The Bizniz-in-a-Box initiative will construct over 100 container business outlets across the country.
Company public affairs head Nozicelo Ngcobo said the Covid-19 pandemic really had a devastating impact on the country’s economy and unemployment levels have become worse.
“The impact will more likely be severe as in many other developing economies, as the country was already in a recession and saw its highest unemployment levels in almost 20 years.
“Even before the pandemic, we were not exploiting the demographic dividend that we have. We can turn our youth into productive citizens by channelling their energy into entrepreneurship,” Ngcobo said.
As CCBSA, we believe it is through collaboration between business, civil society and government that we can establish platforms to empower this segment of our society, to create opportunities through which they can create their own livelihoods,” said Ngcobo.
The Coca-Cola containers will support those who want to start their own tuckshops, internet cafés, car washes, fast-food shops, etc.
(edited by MLM)
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