Nearly 300 million people throughout the African continent lack access to clean
drinking water, and far more are without improved sanitation facilities. Companies
such as The Coca-Cola Company, which rely on access to freshwater resources and
surrounding communities for their core business operations and supply chains, face
growing material risks as well as opportunities from the global water crisis (which
includes sanitation challenges as well). Investments in water stewardship are becoming
an increasingly common strategy for corporate or other private investors to both
manage downside risk and build upside potential, particularly in emerging economies
throughout the African region. Indeed, organizations that are able to forge relationships
with markets and societies in Africa today are likely to be well positioned to enjoy the
high rates of growth projected for the region. This report highlights 5 thematic area
where business benefits from water stewardship investments can be realized, including:
corporate competitiveness, operational efficiency, human capital, social capital, and risk
exposure. Through the development of original spatial analyses, the report underscores
selected trends and presents a series of recommendations for what type of water
stewardship activities should be targeted to specific countries. Through a systemsbased
mapping of over 50 distinct dimensions of both societal and business value
creation and their interconnections, the report also discusses several high-level
leverage points for value creation. These leverage points are capable of effecting deep
systems-level change, and are presented as recommended programmatic themes.
Finally, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) is
presented and discussed as an example of a water stewardship investment that
provides numerous benefits to societies, to larger economies, and to natural ecosystems.