OPINION | EMMY HASHAKIMANA | On 3 April 2025, Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda (CCBU) celebrates 25 years of refreshing Uganda. This milestone is a moment of pride and gratitude as we replicate on our hump and how deeply it’s miles woven into the fabric of the country we call dwelling.
When CCBU, a firm within the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa group, started operations in 2001, the ambition used to be to refresh Ugandans with quality drinks.
Over the years, that ambition has evolved. At the present time, we’re extra than a bottler. We’re a depended on partner to native companies, an employer of preference, a steward of shared sources, and a proud contributor to Uganda’s financial enlighten.
Sustainable enlighten begins with winning within the market – and doing so responsibly. Over the years, we possess reinforced our route-to-market by investing in systems and partnerships that enable us to study patrons efficiently, price effectively and reliably.
Thru our Agreeable Coca-Cola Distribution network, we now partner with 104 distributors, now not at once serving over 106,000 customers in every corner of Uganda. Our digital transformation hump has considered 13% of our buyer unpleasant digitised, using better effectivity, transparency and restore for our partners.
Our portfolio now entails extra than 80 product diversifications, offering preference and relevance for the diverse wants of our patrons while retaining our drinks practical. For years, we possess maintained the 330ml returnable glass bottle at UGX 1,000. This balance of scale, innovation and price underpins our sustainable enlighten.
None of this may perhaps be imaginable with out our of us. At CCBU, we know that after of us thrive, companies thrive. At the present time, we make use of virtually 900 Ugandans.
We’re dedicated to unparalleled expert enlighten, offering an exhilarating hump of studying and pattern within a passionate, caring group. Thru our Graduate-in-Coaching and internship programmes, we geared up young consultants with real-world abilities and journey. CCBU affords a platform for purpose-pushed work all the arrangement in which by iconic brands and occupation-defining alternatives. Workers develop by programmes such as the Frontline Leadership
Programme, Competency Acquisition Programme, Gross sales Academy, Responsible Advertising and First Relieve Coaching.
In 2025, we moreover started the recruitment process for Ascend, CCBA’s Leadership In Coaching programme designed to shape Africa’s subsequent technology of leaders. The programme will delivery in March 2026 and spans over 18 months, throughout which high-performing graduates embark on a rotational hump that blends real enterprise journey, industrial immersion, senior-leader mentorship, coaching circles and future-prepared studying.
From hands-on projects to management masterclasses, Ascend presents members the opportunity to upward thrust, develop additional, lead confidently, and originate their designate in one in every of Africa’s most dynamic companies. By the stop of the programme, they’ll be prepared to step into a first-line management characteristic and motivate shape CCBA’s future.
Recognition, begin verbal substitute and occupation development topic. Thru Exceed League, milestone celebrations and platforms such as AskHR, toll-free feedback channels and transparent interior communications, we strive to fetch a website of enterprise where of us feel heard, valued and empowered. This commitment has earned us Top Employer recognition by the Top Employers Institute for 2025 and 2026, as well as the Bronze Employer of the Year Award by the Federation of Uganda Employers in 2025. It continues to shape an spectacular, values-pushed tradition supported by our dedicated country management management.
Our success is carefully tied to the success of our customers. We partner with distributors, retailers and outlets all the arrangement in which by Uganda, guided by a buyer-centricity map that puts of us, website, product, and price on the centre.
By investing in buyer ability, frosty-drink availability, coaching and market intelligence, we enable our partners to develop sustainably. This shared-price map ensures enlighten is inclusive and resilient, strengthening communities and building enduring markets.
At CCBU, doing enterprise the accurate technique is non-negotiable. We proceed to prioritise water replenishment and motivate to decrease packaging ruin.
Thru social influence initiatives, we possess helped empower girls americans, youth and of us with disabilities, reinforcing our perception that sustainable enlighten wants to be inclusive.
We’re pleased with our strong partnerships with authorities, establishments and depended on interior most-sector partners. These relationships are constructed on believe, compliance and alignment with national priorities.
In 2023, CCBU used to be honoured with the Excel Award for moral enterprise practices, accountable citizenship, and tax compliance, alongside the best revenue contribution in our class on the Uganda Earnings Authority (URA) Taxpayers Awards. These requirements underpin the price we fetch for shareholders and society alike.
CCBU is now the second-largest bottler within the CCBA group, after South Africa. Productiveness and effectivity initiatives such as Tukyaase record our commitment to operational excellence and creative of lengthy-term price.
CCBU emerged as a high performer on the CCBA Leadership Awards 2025, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and proudly took dwelling three prestigious awards. In 2025, the Coca-Cola label used to be ranked amongst the Top 10 Most Admired Producers on the 15th Label Africa Awards, held in Kampala, affirming the believe we possess earned by repeatedly delivering price for of us, society and the atmosphere.
The lengthy lumber belongs to companies which can per chance presumably be agile, accountable and inclusive – and we’re prepared to manual. We are in a position to proceed to develop the market, make investments in our of us, steward sources responsibly and fetch shared price for all.
After almost 25 years, we’re extra than a bottler. We’re piece of Uganda’s memoir – and we purpose to proceed making a distinction and organising price for the communities in which we’re living and work by our native footprint.
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The author is the Managing Director at Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda
The submit A quarter century of influence: CCBU’s hump of increasing with Uganda seemed first on The Self reliant Uganda:.
