General
Nigeria Leads 10 Biggest Beer Drinking Countries
By Dipo Olowookere
The list of top 10 biggest beer drinking countries in Africa has been released by a market research group called Global Data, formerly known as Canadean and the lead spot was occupied by Nigeria, the most populous nation in the continent.
As a result of its population, Nigeria led the chart with 12.28 litres of beer consumed per year.
Beer makes up just 16 percent of alcohol consumption in Nigeria, while other drinks make up 84 percent due to the high popularity of home-brewed beverages.
Africa is by far the fastest growing region for beer consumption and research showed that over 5 percent annual growth of beer consumption in Africa, compared with 3 percent for Asia and less than 1 percent for Western Europe.
“There is untapped potential,” Global Data Analyst Andrew Curran said, noting that although, Ivory Coast is outside the top 10 beer consuming countries in Africa, it is showing more or less matching growth rates to the top 10.
Nigeria is being followed on the top 10 beer consuming countries in Africa by Uganda, which consumes 11.93 litres per year; Botswana is third, with 7.96 litres per year, leaving Kenya in the fourth position, with 9.72 litres per year.
While Namibia and Burundi consume 9.62 litres per year and 9.47 litres per year, respectively, South Africa and Gabon consume 9.46 litres per year and 9.32 litres per year, respectively.
Rwanda consumes 9.10 litres of beer per year, while Tanzania consumes 7.7 litres of beer per year.
However, Global Data’s research identified Ivory Coast as one of the continent’s most dynamic economies, with annual growth of over 8 percent, and her beer market is also expected to expand.
“The Ivory Coast is outside the top 10 beer consuming countries in Africa, but it is showing more or less matching growth rates to the top 10,” the report said, adding that Ivory Coast has also gained importance since the recent merger between rivals SAB Miller and InBev.
According to Curran, SAB Miller and InBev have consolidated their dominance in South Africa and forced Heineken to focus on the francophone West.
He believes that success in the Ivory Coast could lead to further gains in the region, such as in Burkina Faso and Benin,
Global Data’s report of Ivory Coast’s push to the top 10 biggest beer drinking countries in Africa came on the heels of Dutch multinational Heineken’s investment of $160 million in the West African country’s beer market.
Heineken recently launched a new brewery named Brassivoire in association with distribution specialists CFAO on the outskirts of the Ivorian economic capital Abidjan.
The $160 million state-of-the-art facility has capacity to produce 160 million liters of beer a year. The brewery will produce Heineken Ivoire beer, the result of extensive research into local tastes.
Brassivoire has around 200 highly-skilled local employees, who have received over 3000 hours of training between them, according to General Manager Alexander Koch.
The Dutch beer giant Heineken, which is the world’s second largest brewer, is targeting the Ivory Coast, and has said that its Ivoire brand has been well received and intends to scale up production.
The vast majority of beer consumers in Ivory Coast are provided by French company Castel Groupe, which owns popular brands including Solibra, Flag and Castel. Castel Groupe previously held near monopoly on Ivorian beer market.
However, with the inauguration of a new $160 million state-of-the-art plant, Heineken has made an ambitious play for the fast-growing Ivorian beer market.
“It (Ivory Coast) has a young population, a high rate of urbanization – almost 50 per cent already – a dynamic economy and there is only one player so far,” says Heineken CEO Jean-Francois Van Boxmeer.
What this means is that the battle for the soul of Ivory Coast’s beer market may have commenced. Already, Heineken believes its new Ivoire beer can eat into Castel’s market share, with its relatively low price and a product designed for local consumers.
“We researched for years,” Koch said, adding, “We developed the bottle, the name, the color code, even the recipe together with the Ivorian consumer.”
He said the new beer has performed well so far, and production will soon increase. “The Ivoire brand has had an incredibly good reception from the Ivorian consumer,” Koch stated, adding, “We are currently running at full capacity and will bring forward some of our investments to meet demand.”
Source: The Nation
By Adedapo Adesanya
Embattled former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, returned to court in London on Monday, denying wrongdoing as prosecutors presented evidence for an alleged bribery.
It was recently reported that Mrs Alison-Madueke, once president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), received cash and luxury benefits in exchange for influence over oil and gas contracts when she was a minister in the cabinet of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
She has denied the claims repeatedly.
In the latest development in her trial, jurors in the British court today heard testimony from a luxury furnishings retailer and a former housekeeper, as prosecutors sought to show how high-end purchases and property use were allegedly routed through intermediaries.
The 65-year-old is accused of multiple bribery counts stemming from a years-long investigation.
The alleged offences occurred between 2011 and 2015, when she was Nigeria’s oil minister but maintained a UK address.
The UK National Crime Agency (NCA), which targets international and serious and organised crime, accused her of receiving the bribes in Britain.
Mrs Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups.
Both companies secured contracts with the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries, according to the prosecution.
The former minister is also said to have received £100,000 ($137,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria and refurbishment work and staff costs at several London properties.
Other counts allege she received school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as London’s Harrods department store and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights.
Mrs Alison-Madueke has been involved in numerous legal cases globally, including in the United States.
She has been on bail in Britain since she was arrested in October 2015.
In 2023, she was formally charged with accepting bribes, which she has denied.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An initiative designed to encourage entrepreneurship, expand access to opportunities in the digital economy, and improve the employability of young people in its host communities has been launched by Egbin Power Plc.
The tech-based empowerment programme will equip young persons from Egbin, Ijede and Ipakan areas of Lagos State with digital skills.
The chief executive of the power-generating firm, Mr Mokhtar Bounour, described the initiative as part of the company’s Personal Corporate Social Responsibility (PCSR) efforts, reflecting its commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, adding that its responsibilities extend beyond electricity generation to empowering people in surrounding communities.
“In today’s digital age, technology is no longer optional but a critical driver of economic inclusion and growth,” Mr Bounour said, noting that deliberate interventions were needed to bridge digital gaps and prevent uneven development.
He explained that when communities are excluded from the digital economy, development becomes uneven and unsustainable, reinforcing the need for deliberate interventions that bridge digital gaps.
He pointed out that, “The Empowerment Programme is designed to address this gap by providing young people in Egbin, Ijede and Ipakan with access to practical and in-demand digital skills that can improve employability, foster entrepreneurship, and create new economic opportunities within their communities.”
The first cohort brings together beneficiaries from the three communities for structured training in ICT fundamentals, graphic design, full-stack web development, digital marketing, cybersecurity and data analytics. The programme combines classroom instruction with hands-on learning.
Participants were selected through a screening process that assessed curiosity, determination and willingness to learn, the company said. Beyond technical training, the programme also includes workplace skills such as ethics, problem-solving, collaboration, professionalism and digital responsibility.
Mr Bounour urged beneficiaries to act as ambassadors of the initiative and demonstrate the values of integrity, discipline and service, saying their progress would serve as evidence that strategic corporate responsibility can deliver measurable impact.
He encouraged participants to recognise their broader responsibility to their communities, urging them to learn with character, pay their knowledge forward, mentor others, and use their skills to solve real local problems. He noted that the true legacy of the programme will be the ripple effects it creates through shared success and communal growth.
The launch of the Tech Empowerment Programme underscores Egbin Power’s continued commitment to sustainable community development, trust-building, and long-term value creation.
The company reaffirmed its dedication to investing strategically in people, strengthening host communities, and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s digital and economic future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the organisation is in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS) will eliminate manual bottlenecks and synchronise operations across Nigeria’s seaports.
Mr Dantsoho disclosed this at a recent three-day high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos titled Achieving a 7-day Cargo Dwell Time, organised by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in collaboration with the NPA.
The engagement convened the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA) framework, focusing on streamlining port processes to improve efficiency and ease of doing business.
According to the NPA boss, the PCS will serve as the digital backbone of the National Single Window, enabling seamless information exchange among port stakeholders and reducing delays caused by manual documentation.
On her part, the director-general of PEBEC, Mrs Zahrah Mustapha, said the session was designed to go beyond identifying challenges and focus on implementing long-overdue practical solutions.
“Nigeria loses significantly every day due to operational inefficiencies,” Mrs Mustapha said. “These are not just numbers; they represent missed opportunities, jobs not created, and delayed economic growth. This reform is about resilience and unlocking the nation’s economic potential.”
She added that the initiative brings together government regulators and private-sector stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability, with the ultimate objective of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.
Recall that the NPA recorded a 100 per cent success rate in PEBEC reforms, ranking fifth among government agencies in 2025 with an 84.2 per cent compliance rating.
Outcomes from the stakeholder engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months. By addressing operational gaps identified during port inspections, the NPA and PEBEC aim to build a more competitive maritime environment that attracts investment and facilitates seamless trade.
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