The Coca-Cola Company has invested US$1.22 million into the //Gam-i Swakop Basin Resilience Project, an initiative designed to enhance long-term water security and rehabilitate ecosystems across the critical Swakop River catchment area.
The funding targets key ecological and municipal vulnerabilities in the basin, which serves as a vital water supply source for the City of Windhoek and surrounding regional communities.
Coca-Cola stated that the project will include the construction of two sand storage dams, restoration of 235 hectares of land through the clearing of invasive alien plants, and the planting of 750 trees in river buffer zones and environmentally degraded areas within Windhoek’s informal settlements.
“In addition, two boreholes will be drilled to support groundwater recharge in the Windhoek aquifer, and a water resilience action plan has been developed. The project supports improved water availability and helps strengthen the resilience of the Basin through nature-based solutions that support sustainable water resource management across the catchment area.”
Vice President of East and Central Africa Operations at Coca-Cola, Alfred Olajide, said that because water challenges are local, their approach to water security is focused on local action and collaboration. “The Coca-Cola system remains focused on helping to promote water stewardship, increasing water use efficiency, and treating and returning safe water to communities.”
He added that collaboration is essential to addressing shared water challenges effectively. “Coca-Cola and its authorised bottlers continue to work with government, businesses and civil society organisations to design and implement strategic interventions.”
General Manager of Coca-Cola Namibia Bottling Company (CCNBC) Henry Friedrich said that, as part of the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa group, they have a responsibility to assist those who face water scarcity and to help protect local water resources where they operate, especially in places with the biggest challenges. “Through the Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, the system aims to help protect important watersheds and to improve access to water and sanitation in local communities.”
Namibia Country Director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Dr Juliane Zeidler, said water is one of Namibia’s most precious and increasingly vulnerable resources. “This project is an opportunity to demonstrate how investing in healthy ecosystems can deliver tangible benefits for people, while also helping communities become more resilient to future climate pressures. We hope the lessons and partnerships developed through this initiative can inform similar approaches elsewhere in the country.”
This work forms part of the Coca-Cola system’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, launched in 2024, which has a US$25 million investment focused on helping address critical water-related challenges across 20 African countries by 2030.
