Takoradi, Dec.11, GNA - The Public Affairs Director of the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Mr Philippe Ayivor, has stated that the company has budgeted US$1.5 million to provide sanitation facilities and bole holes for some deprived communities across the country.

He observed that lack of access to potable water and sanitation facilities in most rural areas is the source of health problems bedevilling rural folks and so the company would work to reverse the trend. Mr Ayivor told journalists at a press soiree in Takoradi on Friday. He said the wealth of any nation depended on its healthy productive workforce, therefore, the company would contribute its quota towards a healthy nation.

Mr. Ayivor commended the media for contributing towards the current democratic dispensation in the country saying, "The media has really shaped public perception about critical issues in the country as well as providing information that has made us better informed citizens". He pledged continued collaboration with the media to better the lot of Ghanaians.

For his part, the Western Regional Sales Manager of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company-Ghana, Mr. Francis Opoku, said the company would provide quality products and services to consumers at all times. To this end, he said the company had invested in the use of the state-of-the-art technologies to ensure that their products are of good quality and up to global standards.

Mr. Opoku indicated that, the company had provided indirect jobs for over one million Ghanaians across the country, adding that, it was part of the company's efforts at reducing youth unemployment. The Regional Sales Manager noted that the company had renovated some health and education facilities across the country, which had provided healthier environments for quality health care and learning. 11 Dec. 10