Coca-Cola is marking 75 years of operations in Nigeria, with the company highlighting its investments in water access, plastic recycling, youth skills development, maternal health and other social programmes.

The Coca-Cola System, comprising Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, its bottling partner Nigerian Bottling Company, and The Coca-Cola Foundation, said in a document released on Monday that its activities had extended beyond beverage production to economic empowerment and sustainability initiatives.

The company said it had implemented water access projects in communities through the Strengthening Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme.

Under the initiative, boreholes and handwashing stations were rehabilitated across six Maiduguri communities, including an IDP camp, two health facilities and a school. It said more than 16,000 people now had access to safer water, while local women had been engaged as hygiene promoters and youths trained as maintenance artisans.

In Imo State, Coca-Cola said it helped restore 15,000 cubic metres of riverbank vegetation along the Otamiri River, helping to safeguard water supplies for 25 communities. Community committees were also trained to manage the systems.

On plastic recycling, the company said initiatives including the Empowering Collectors Initiative, Plastics Recycling Programme (PReP), CyclePlast, Tidy Nigeria and Green Campus had supported more than 13,000 Nigerians in earning incomes through the collection and aggregation of plastic waste.

To expand recycling infrastructure, Coca-Cola opened a Packaging Collection Hub in Apapa, Lagos, with the capacity to process 13,000 metric tonnes of PET bottles annually. The hub supports more than 1,000 informal waste collectors and 70 aggregators, according to the company.

On youth development, the company said its Youth Empowered programme, led by NBC, had impacted 70,000 young Nigerians through life skills, entrepreneurship training and internship opportunities.

It added that the Digital Skilling and Employment Project (DSEP) and AWAMBI had trained more than 130,000 youths in digital skills.

Through its Safe Birth Initiative, Coca-Cola said it had equipped maternity and neonatal units in public hospitals with medical devices and trained biomedical technicians. More than 43,000 mothers and newborns had benefited from the programme, it said.

The company said its operations generate thousands of direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of indirect livelihoods across manufacturing, logistics, packaging, retail, transportation and recycling.

It added that its distribution network, powered by indigenous entrepreneurs and retailers, enables its products to reach consumers across Nigeria.

Coca-Cola also cited campaigns including Share a Coke, Coke Studio, Coke with Meals, Schweppes’ “Born Social,” and its recent 75th anniversary celebration as part of its efforts to maintain cultural relevance in Nigeria.

As it marks 75 years in the country, the company said, “E Don Tey, We Still Dey.” It said it remained committed to refreshing lives, empowering communities, and building a sustainable future for generations to come.