Coca-Cola has announced that it is restructuring its African operations. The move is an attempt to boost sales and profit as well as improve cost management.
In a memo to employees released to the media, Alex Cummings, the head of Coke's African group, said that the company's operations on the continent would be divided into four units from its current three based in Casablanca in Morocco, Johannesburg in South Africa, and Lagos in Nigeria.
Under the new structure, Cairo in Egypt will replace Casablanca as the operating centre for the North and West Africa division, while Nairobi in Kenya will house the base for a restructured East and Central Africa division. Johannesburg will remain as the centre of the new South Africa division and Lagos will remain the centre for Nigeria.
"The four divisions will focus our resources and efforts on further developing our key markets of Nigeria and South Africa," Cummings said. "It also will create the opportunity to manage and develop key second-tier markets whose successes are critical to helping the Africa Group achieve its goals."
Cummings added that the changes to the African operating structure were effective 1 January. He added that the Nigerian division's president was already in place while the other three divisional presidents would be announced by late November.
Sectors: Soft drinks
