Centre of Excellence to be Opened
The first step toward establishing a global Center of Excellence (CoE) has been announced by Ardagh Group, a supplier of sustainable packaging solutions based in Cape Town, South Africa. The new CoE of Ardagh will provide specific IT services to the company’s businesses in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
“With world-class technology skills and an established infrastructure, Cape Town provides the perfect home for Ardagh’s new Centre of Excellence,” said Paul Coulson, Chairman, Ardagh Group. “We look forward to growing our presence to support our global business objectives.”
Ardagh sees this as a ground-breaking opportunity to make a difference by creating jobs and skill-building opportunities for young South Africans in the rapidly expanding field of technology.
“With social development at the core of our sustainability strategy, our Centre of Excellence in Africa will help to empower local youth as well as underpin Ardagh’s future in, and commitment to, the region. We recognise the critical role education, and access to education, plays in ensuring equal opportunities and in building successful communities.
This initiative aligns closely to Ardagh’s programme to promote STEM (“science, technology, engineering and mathematics”) education among our communities. It now covers more than 400 schools across Europe and the Americas, with plans to expand into Brazil and Africa in the next year.
We are proud to employ more than 21,000 skilled people across our global network and we look forward to welcoming new members to our growing team here in Africa.”
Ardagh’s 2022 acquisition of Consol Glass, now known as Ardagh Glass Packaging – Africa, has been followed by further investment to meet growing demand for sustainable glass packaging in South Africa. The CoE will be an integral part of a range of positive social impact investments in South Africa, in particular Cape Town.
Seven production facilities are run by Ardagh Glass Packaging – Africa in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia. These facilities produce a variety of glass packaging for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.
Ardagh is happy to collaborate with the City of Cape Town and appreciates their financial support for training. As project implementation partners, Ardagh will also collaborate with EXL, a well-known data analytics and digital operations company, and CapaCiti.
“Ardagh Group’s investment and commitment to Africa is noteworthy and inspiring. The City of Cape Town is excited to provide Capetonians with transformative, real-world training and educational experiences,” said Alderman Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth at the City of Cape Town.
“Investments like these solidify Cape Town as a preferred destination for investment on the African continent. The City aim to make it easier for businesses to start up, invest and expand in Cape Town. The plan is to not only be the easiest place to do business in South Africa but in Africa overall. This will positively influence our youth by equipping them with key training, education and transportable skills that will enable them to thrive in their future careers.”
In addition to the CoE, Ardagh will collaborate with a number of regional charities to support the communities in and around Cape Town and to demonstrate Ardagh’s dedication to the area.
To learn more about Ardagh’s other sustainability initiatives and to access the latest sustainability reports, the company’s website can be viewed.
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