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 Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
