The CEO and Chairman of Coca-Cola, James Quincey, has concluded a four-day tour of Africa where he met with business leaders, including Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and Nigerian entrepreneur and chairman of Heirs Holding Tony Elumelu.
Mr. Quincey was accompanied by an extended leadership team and reaffirmed Coca-Cola’s commitment to Africa, according to a statement sent to TODAY NEWS AFRICA in Washington DC.
He visited Nigeria and South Africa and met with business and political leaders there, including top executives from Discovery Group, MTN, Unilever and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and thought leaders such as Doyin Salami, the chairman of Nigeria’s Economic Advisory Council, as well as Fred Swaniker from the Africa Leadership Academy.
“Having operated in Africa for over 90 years as a local business in every country, we believe Africa is a region that will increasingly influence the growth trajectory of our global businesses in just a few years,” he said, according to a statement.
“Together with our bottling partners, we continue to reinforce our stake on the continent by accelerating investments that strengthen and scale our capabilities and expand into new businesses to drive our Total Beverage Company aspiration.”
Quincey highlighted a number of positive and encouraging developments across Africa which he described as important foundations for strong economic growth and, if sustained, will fast track the continent’s role as a global growth engine. These include the growing scale of domestic investments by African investors across sectors and the potential of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
