The Seven-Up Bottling Company has upgraded the Sari-Iganmu Primary Health Centre in Lagos with a renovated maternity ward, a new laboratory, and solar power infrastructure. This intervention aims to improve access to essential healthcare in its host community. The rehabilitation was carried out in collaboration with the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area and was unveiled on September 28.
The new laboratory is a significant addition to the facility, which previously had no laboratory. The solar installation is expected to provide more reliable power for healthcare operations. The maternity ward was also renovated as part of the project. This upgrade will provide healthcare workers with a more functional environment while improving access to maternity services, basic laboratory investigations, and essential care for residents.
Sari El-Khalil, managing director and chief executive officer of Seven-Up Bottling Company, said the company’s relationship with Apapa-Iganmu dates back to 1960, when its first bottle was produced in the community. El-Khalil emphasized that the company considers community wellbeing a key part of its operations. The company has operated in the area for more than six decades and has supported initiatives in education and youth development.
The intervention highlights a persistent challenge in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, where infrastructure, diagnostic capacity, and reliable electricity remain important constraints to the delivery of basic services. By adding diagnostic capacity and an independent power solution to the health centre, the project addresses some of the operational gaps that can affect the quality and continuity of care at the primary level.
Jimoh Olawale Saliu, executive chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, described the rehabilitation as another demonstration of Seven-Up Bottling Company’s longstanding commitment to the community. He noted that the health intervention follows other projects by the company in Apapa-Iganmu, including its Plastic Waste for Product initiative, a plastic buy-back programme launched in 2025 to address plastic pollution while creating economic opportunities for residents.
The Ojora of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom, Oba Abdulfatai Oyeyinka Aremu Aromire II, said the relationship between the El-Khalil family and the community had evolved beyond business into one based on trust and shared interest in the wellbeing of residents. The upgraded facility is expected to improve access to essential healthcare services for residents.
The project aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing, one of the seven priority Sustainable Development Goals within Seven-Up Bottling Company’s sustainability agenda. The company has also supported initiatives such as the Pepsi Football Academy and the Seven-Up Harvard Business School Scholarship, which has sponsored 16 Nigerians to attend Harvard Business School.
Key points
- Seven-Up Bottling Company upgrades Sari-Iganmu Primary Health Centre with a renovated maternity ward, laboratory, and solar power infrastructure.
- The project aims to improve access to essential healthcare services in the host community.
- The intervention addresses some of the operational gaps in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
