Africa: Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya top Guinness consumers in Africa

According to the beer manufacturer Diageo, Kenya is among five African countries that consumes large quantities of Guinness and as such features high on the Guinness beer consumption in the world, the Pulse Nigeria reported on August 3.

The country where Diageo’s distributor, the East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), is headquartered ranked sixth globally in Guinness beer consumptions.

“In Africa Guinness has a deep history – first arriving in Africa in 1827 – and it remains strongly embedded in the culture and one of the most popular beers on the continent,’’ said Mark Sandys, global head of beer at Diageo

Diageo and its associates hold 50.03 per cent stake in EABL which is the only listed distiller at the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

According to EABL, Guinness was the second most consumed beer in Kenya after Tusker, with the beer category contributing 73 per cent of the listed firm’s activities in Kenya.

The ranking comes just a week after EABL announced its results for year ending June 2018 where its net sales grew five per on the back of strong performance in the beer category.

However, much as Kenyans love their dark, tangy porter beer with a bitter finish and said to be 50% stronger compared to the standard Guinness draught sold in Dublin, the home of Guinness, they cannot hold a candle to Nigerians.

In fact should there be any Guinness beer drinking competition Nigerians will easily triumph over Kenyans because they not only hold the crown for the biggest market in Africa but the world's second-biggest Guinness market as well, a crown they have held for close to ten years now.

In the late 2000s, Nigeria surpassed Ireland to become the second largest market for Guinness consumption.

The top five biggest consumers of Guinness in the world are UK, Ireland, USA, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Other African countries that made the list include Ghana and Ivory Coast.

The beer brand whose net global sales grew five per cent has gained dominance in Africa over the years, with its sales in Nigeria for instance growing 24 per cent.

Africa, with its $13 billion beer market, is the biggest source of beer sales for the owners of Guinness, the British multinational Diageo. 40% of Guinness consumed worldwide is being drunk in Africa.

Every day, over 10 million glasses of Guinness are being enjoyed around the world and every year, more than 1.8 billion pints are being sold.

02 August, 2018