Beer producer pins hopes on African growth

Beverage producer Top of
Form SABMiller sees more
affordable beer and middle
class aspirations as the biggest
growth opportunities in Africa,
said Mark Bowman, managing
director SABMiller Africa.
“Africans drink nine litres
of beer per head per year,
compared with a global average
of 4.5. So as Africa develops
and levels of disposable income
increase we expect the rate
of beer consumption to grow
significantly. Additionally we
anticipate strong GDP growth
in Africa which supports our
optimism,” he said.
By developing new affordable
brands and maintaining
moderate pricing regimes on its
beer brands, SABMiller expects
to win share from the informal
alcohol market and achieve
significant long-term volume
growth in Africa, he added.