The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has partnered with the Rural Africa Water Development Project (RAWDP) and the Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction and Urban Resilience (IDRRUR) to increase water security and resilience for communities within Imo State through its ‘Resilient Watershed for All’ initiative.

The initiative will support the State’s Water Corporation Board and the social and economic development of 25 communities within Imo State, all of which depend on the Otamiri River as a critical water source.

The community-based interventions focus on watershed governance, sanitising and protecting watershed sources through the conservation of forest and woodland ecosystems. It attempts to provide long-term access to clean water and lower the prevalence of water-borne illnesses.

Similarly, the project addresses several important challenges faced by these communities such as inadequate access to clean drinking water caused by the degradation of the significant Otamiri watershed; low awareness levels of the importance of, and capacity for, watershed management; insufficient capacity of the communities to sustainably manage the watershed; and loss of biodiversity and forest cover caused by high levels of deforestation.

Speaking to the project’s significance, the President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Saadia Madsbjerg, remarked saying, We are dedicated to enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities by promoting sustainable access to safe water. We take pride in collaborating with strategic partners and stakeholders to amplify our impact and efficacy.

Over a 24-month period, this project is set to reach a total of 2.5 million people across the three urban local government areas of Owerri North, Owerri West and Owerri Municipal LGAs of Imo State. This intervention will restore and replenish over 15,000m3 of riparian landscape using nature-based solutions especially riparian buffers on the riverbank.

To sustain this, the initiative will mainstream asset management into the management of these water facilities to guarantee longevity and sustainability of this impact investment. The project will also accelerate community impact by prioritising sustainability and ensuring that key inputs to unlock sustainability gains are optimised.

On the project aspirations, Ogechi Ezeji, Executive Director, Rural Africa Water Development Initiative, explained ” By working together under this approach, RAWDP and the Coca Cola Foundation, hopes to successfully address critical challenges in dozens of communities and a wide variety of issue areas and sectors, including but not limited to: water and sanitation, health, food security, climate change, education, energy, and entrepreneurship. RAWDP is leveraging this partnership with TCCF to espouse its avowed commitment to increasing its development impact in Nigeria and is available to engage and collaborate with other stakeholders and the development community. Such collaborations are essential to achieving our mission of ending extreme poverty and reducing mortality rates due to low levels of sanitation and hygiene.”
The Coca-Cola Foundation continues to improve access to safe water, facilitating sanitation and reliable protection of natural water resources in Nigeria through meaningful partnerships with the government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and local communities.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where our employees live and work. We support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. Our giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded grants of over $1.5 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.