The platform dubbed JAMII will build and expand on the past accomplishments in three areas; water stewardship, the economic empowerment of women and youth and waste management. This will be delivered together with bottling partners, system employees, and several NGO partners.

Through this signature platform, Coca-Cola hopes to attract like-minded partners to help accelerate on-the-ground impact of its initiatives.

“We recognize the responsibility we have as market leaders to make a meaningful difference – to empower and protect the communities and the environment in which we operate. Whether it is giving people access to safe drinking water, creating economic opportunities for people in dire need of it, or reducing the impact of our operations on the environment- we are committed to making that difference,” said Bruno Pietracci, Africa President at The Coca-Cola Company.

Patricia Obozuwa, AOU Vice President for Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability added; “We chose the name JAMII, a Swahili word that means Community, Society, People – because it represents who we are as Africans and aligns with our values as an organization- our resilience, our commitment, and our spirit of community. Consolidating our sustainability efforts under this umbrella will allow us to strengthen our value proposition and make good on our promise to continue to be a trusted partner for sustainable growth in Africa.”

In the area of women and youth economic empowerment, JAMII will ​​promote and stimulate entrepreneurship opportunities through the provision of improved access to skills training, networks, finance & markets. To date, over 2 million women across Africa have been economically enabled as part of the 5by20 program.

In the area of water stewardship, we will replenish 100% of the water used in the production of our products by managing water use efficiency in our operations, supporting the conservation of natural water resources and improving community water access and climate change adaption.

So far, combined efforts by Coca-Cola Africa, The Coca-Cola Foundation and its partners have resulted in sustainable access to drinking water for over 6 million people through the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN).

For waste management, Coca-Cola Africa is committed to driving a world without waste. Nearly all of Coca-Cola’s packaging is already recyclable with the goal of recycling the equivalent of 100% of its packaging waste by 2030.

Obozuwa added that “Coca-Cola Africa is already forming new partnerships to facilitate the implementation of JAMII projects that will deliver on these goals.”

Internally, JAMII will inspire employees to make a difference in their immediate communities. Employee-nominated charities will receive grants and employee volunteering will be encouraged. Also, The Coca-Cola Employee Disaster Relief Fund will support employees facing financial hardship as a result of a natural disaster.

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In her new role which will be based in Nairobi, Debra will oversee the development and implementation of business strategies across the East and Central Africa Franchise.

“Debra is a highly accomplished leader with a wealth of experience gained within leading multi-national organizations. She has a strong track record of driving growth and is a versatile leader with a deep understanding of customers and markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has held senior leadership positions in fast-moving consumer goods, including the beverage industry, manufacturing, and technology companies and I am confident that she will lead the Coca-Cola Franchise in its next phase of growth,” said Bruno Pietracci, President Coca-Cola Africa Operating Unit.

Speaking on her appointment Debra expressed optimism as she takes up her new role: “My vision is to ensure that the Coca-Cola brand continues to refresh our consumers lives and make a difference in communities we operate in. A lot has changed around the environment we operate in especially in the last one year driven by the ongoing pandemic, but there many growth opportunities for the Coca-Cola business and that is my focus.”

Debra joins Coca-Cola from Safaricom Plc (Vodafone Group) where she was the Chief Business Development Officer and played a key role in developing a blueprint for entry into new geographical territories and expanding the business to new growth areas.

Previously, she has also served as the General Manager for East and Central Africa at GlaxoSmithKline; Vice President at Unilever with responsibility for Sub-Sahara Africa; Group Marketing & Innovations Director at Diageo East Africa (East African Breweries Limited); and Regional Marketing in Diageo in the United Kingdom.

Debra has a passion for developing African talent and unlocking possibility in others. She has a strong commitment to social entrepreneurship and non-profit work in the region.

Debra holds a Business degree (Honours) from the University of Nairobi and completed an Advanced Management Program from the IESE Business school in Spain and an Executive Program on Fintech Innovation at Said Business School, Oxford University. She has lived and worked in Kenya, South Africa, and the UK, and is married with two children.

Debra will be taking over from Phillipine Mtikikiti who served as the Vice President & General Manager of the East and Central Africa Franchise since June 2019. Phillipine has moved on to take up a similar role for the South Africa Franchise in Johannesburg.

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