• Coca-Cola unit trains 260+ SMEs in Namibia business skills
• Program targets women, youth, disabled entrepreneurs amid sector struggles
• Initiative supports distribution network, aligns with national development goals

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola group operating in 14 African countries, has completed a training program for more than 260 small and medium-sized enterprise owners in Namibia, local press reported Tuesday. Among the participants were 145 women, 96 young people and 26 persons with disabilities.

The Central Commerce Group provided the training through its Youth Capacity Building Programme, covering cash flow management, budgeting and bookkeeping. For CCBA, which serves more than 840,000 customers across the continent, the initiative is not purely philanthropic. Helping its direct commercial partners remain financially viable also helps secure its distribution network.

Ockert Jansen, director of public affairs and sustainability at the Namibian subsidiary, said the initiative was aligned with Namibia’s national development plans and government priorities, particularly in terms of youth empowerment. He added that the company aimed to go beyond selling beverages and sought to help customers grow their businesses through advice, promotions and personalized support.

A Struggling SME Sector

The program comes as the sector faces mounting challenges. Namibia has lost roughly 30,000 businesses over the past five years, the vast majority of them small and medium-sized enterprises. The number of registered employers fell from approximately 45,000 in 2018 to 15,000 in 2023, according to Robert McGregor of Cirrus Capital, as cited by the Namibia Economist.

Labor market pressure remains high. Namibia's youth unemployment rate stood at 37.26% in 2024, according to the World Bank. An Afrobarometer survey published the same year found that only 16% of young Namibians approved of the government's job creation efforts.

Access to financing remains a major obstacle. The "Financial Services in Namibia 2025" report by Research and Markets notes that many SMEs operate informally, which effectively bars them from bank credit. The collapse of SME Bank in 2017 compounded those difficulties. Despite the launch of the SME Economic Recovery Scheme in 2023, support for small entrepreneurs remains fragmented, according to multiple sources.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou