Coca-Cola Co

Food & Beverage

Coca-Cola in Africa: a long history of shrewd marketing and political alliances

Coke's history in Africa is deeply and often surprisingly intertwined with key moments, including the emergence of postcolonial nations and the end of Apartheid in South Africa
Billboard in Kampala advertising Coca-Cola. While Africa is largely absent from books on Coca-Cola, the company’s imprint on the continent is enormous. It is present in every nation. The story of Coke's arrival in Africa in the early 1900s is deeply, and often surprisingly, intertwined with key moments in African history. These include the end of Apartheid in South Africa and the emergence of postcolonial African nations. Coca-Cola is also what it is in Africa today because it became local, bending to the will of Africans in everything from sports to music to healthcare.