Coca-Cola, Diageo and WaterHealth International launch ....

Coca-Cola, Diageo and WaterHealth International launch innovative water partnership in Ghana

New ‘Safe Water for Africa’ programme to bring clean water to 50 communities creating a “step change” in expanding sustainable community model for clean water provision

Accra, Ghana, September 5, 2011 – Today, at the Ghana Water Forum, The Coca-Cola system [The Coca-Cola Company, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company & the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF)] Diageo [Diageo plc, the Diageo Foundation, Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd., and Guinness Nigeria Breweries Ltd.], WaterHealth International (WHI), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced the launch of the Ghana programme as part of the Safe Water for Africa (SWA) partnership. This new and innovative collaboration will invest more than US$6 million to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water in Africa, initially in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia.

The strategic partnership will work with communities to drive the expansion of WHI’s innovative clean water service delivery model across the continent. With funding from Coca-Cola, Diageo, and WHI to build at least 50 WaterHealth Centres (WHCs) and to deliver sustainable safe water access for communities across Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia, with new country programmes expected in 2012 and beyond. Building on this core investment, SWA plans to raise a total of over US$20 million to fulfill its ambition of providing safe water to at least 2 million Africans by the end of 2012. The programme will begin with 10 WHCs in Ghana.

Since the inception of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, Ghana has seen improvement in water supply coverage with an increase in coverage in rural areas by over 20%. 18% of the population, however still lacks access. SWA will help to accelerate the achievement of these water supply targets in Ghana and beyond with its unique combination of business leadership and community and public sector engagement.

The SWA partnership is a private sector-led initiative based on the use of an innovative, but most importantly self-sustaining, model of water provision. WHI already installs, operates, and maintains decentralised water treatment facilities - WaterHealth Centres - throughout the developing world. WHCs are small modular structures that house water purification equipment to treat locally available water through a combination of sedimentation, pre-filtration, and ultra-violet technology. The funding from Coca-Cola, Diageo and IFC covers all of the infrastructure costs. Each centre produces World Health Organization (WHO) quality water that is available, for a nominal usage fee, on site or pumped to additional distribution points depending on the size and density of the community.

WHI works in partnership with communities to determine the appropriate, affordable, usage fees for the water purification service, allowing community members to directly access safe water from the facility at a minimal cost. Over time, the increased adoption of the service is able to cover the cost of the operation and maintenance of the facility, allowing it to become sustainable. By providing ongoing operations, maintenance support and regular water quality monitoring for a period of at least 10 years, these WaterHealth Centres will become the reliable source for WHO quality water for these communities. The programme has won the backing of the World Bank, International Financial Corporation and other respected organisations (including the Acumen Fund and Dow Ventures).

SWA’s partners will work together on an ongoing basis to provide financing and coordinated in-country support to expand WHI’s innovative service-delivery throughout Africa.

“SWA is a partnership that brings business acumen to bear on water supply challenges in the rapidly changing communities of West Africa, which is why we are so pleased to be announcing it at the Ghana Water Forum, an event that provides tremendous leadership across sectors on meeting these challenges. Providing access to sustainable safe water supplies in Africa is the primary goal of Diageo’s “Water of Life” programme, an initiative that has already benefited nearly 5 million people. SWA will help us to reach our goal and make a lasting impact,” said Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd.

In targeting water access and promoting water security, SWA is fundamentally supporting the long-term socio-economic development West Africa. Water access contributes to healthy communities unleashing the power of entrepreneurs and assuring vibrant and productive local economies. When our communities are successful, we are successful,” says William Asiko, President of TCCAF. “We are pleased to partner with Diageo, WHI and IFC to more effectively target those populations in need of safe water access that our Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) seeks out and we invite others to join us in these efforts.”

“One of the keystones to the success of WaterHealth’s model in Ghana has been its supply of affordable safe water. In countries like Ghana where cost is a barrier to access, our work with the water sector, governments, communities, and civil society allows us to determine a reasonable price point that ensures equitable and sustainable access. We look forward to working with our communities to lay the foundations for further economic growth through the provision of safe water,” says Sanjay Bhatnagar, Chief Executive Officer of WHI.

The SWA partnership is working with leading water sector donors and one of WHI’s key shareholders and lenders, the International Finance Corporation, to raise additional funding to provide African communities with safe drinking water.

“IFC is actively supporting the expansion of the WaterHealth model, which will leverage both global and regional investments to combat water challenges in Africa. The Safe Water for Africa partnership will accelerate the number of beneficiaries with access to drinking water in Ghana and contribute significantly towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations,” said Usha Rao-Monari, Global Head, Water, International Finance Corporation..

The Coca-Cola system and Diageo plc join SWA through their significant, long-term commitments to assist Ghanaian and other African communities in meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water and sanitation. Both TCCAF’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) and Diageo’s Water of Life programme partner with communities throughout Africa to provide sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions.

About The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC)

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s mission is to enable African communities to improve the quality of their lives and fulfill their potential. It focuses on four key areas of community investment: water, preventive health, education and entrepreneurship. Additionally, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is involved in humanitarian assistance in Africa, for disaster relief and emergency assistance.

In response to the severe water challenges faced by the nearly 300 million Africans living without access to clean water, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation introduced the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) in 2009. RAIN recognizes the water projects that The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and its bottling partners have already supported on the continent and highlights TCCC’s new investment of US$30-million over six years (2010 to 2015) to water projects in Africa. RAIN aims to provide at least 2 million people in Africa with access to clean water by 2015.

Please visit www.tccaf.org for more information contact Vicky Wireko-Andoh +233-244-321-730

About Diageo plc and Diageo Africa

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).

Diageo Africa is primarily a beer and spirits company whose brands are sold in more than 40 countries in Africa. Diageo has a long established presence in Africa with the first recorded exports of Guinness to Sierra Leone in 1827. Guinness is a truly pan-regional premium beer brand brewed in over 20 countries throughout the continent and is exported to many others. Diageo’s businesses also produce and sell a range of local beer brands including Tusker, Senator Keg, Serengeti Premium Lager, Harp and Bell. Diageo is also the leading premium spirits company in Africa, and its great brands include Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky, Smirnoff vodka, Baileys and Gilbeys gin.

Diageo Africa employs over 5,000 people accounting for over 20% of Diageo’s workforce worldwide. In some key markets it has built its own in-market businesses with distribution access to trade channels, some of which have listings on local stock exchanges. In other markets, it will look to partner with a local business, through licensing brands or through third party distribution. All of these companies have active community investment programmes, covering initiatives in water, farming and rural value chains, health, education and other areas of value to the communities in which they operate across Africa.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the communities in which it operates, enriching lives and contributing to the UN Millennium Development Goal 7, Diageo Africa created the Water of Life programme to support projects that provide access to clean drinking water and advance environmental conservation. The programme which was initiated in 2000 aims to benefit 5 million people by end of 2011, 8 million by 2015 and many thousands more through construction and maintenance of sites, improved sanitation and the empowerment of women. To date, Diageo has funded over 100 different water and sanitation projects, impacting over 4 million people in 15 different countries across the continent. Diageo works with international non-governmental organisations as well as local grass roots organisations to deliver water and sanitation through various types of technology including as borehole construction, water filters, rainwater harvesting and watershed management. Diageo selects projects that, among other criteria, are community driven, include capacity building and training for the community, address sanitation issues and empower women.

http://www.diageo.com/en-row/csr/community/Pages/water-of-life.aspx

For more information, please contact James Crampton: James.Crampton@diageo.com

About International Finance Corporation (IFC)

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments totaled $15 billion in fiscal 2009, helping channel capital into developing countries during the financial crisis. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

About WaterHealth International (WHI)

WaterHealth’s vision is to play a central role in bringing safe, quality water to the two billion people around the world who do not have it. WaterHealth Centres allow underserved communities rapid access to safe water at an affordable cost, helping solve the global challenge of waterborne diseases. The company has a sustainable business model under which it constructs a WaterHealth Centre and provides long-term operations, maintenance and quality services to communities for a low, initial one-time investment. The company currently operates over 450 such WaterHealth Centres in India, Ghana, Bangladesh and the Philippines. For more information, contact Sameer Mithal (smithal@waterhealth.com) or visit the website http://www.waterhealth.com.