'Beer wars': big brewers target Nigerian drinkers

• February 13 2019
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer/-beer-wars-big-brewers-target-nigerian-drinkers_156958

LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Gigantic billboards advertising beer now dominate the skyline of Nigeria's megacity, Lagos, signalling the escalating battle between multinational brewers for drinkers in Africa's most populous country.

So far it's a largely untapped market, with Nigerians consuming on average just nine litres (around 16 British pints) of beer a year, well below South Africans' 57 litres, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

But with more than half of Nigeria's 190 million people aged under 30 – and the population expected to grow to 410 million by 2050 – the world's biggest beer companies are looking to elbow in.

For years, Nigerian Breweries has dominated the sector with brands including Gulder, Star, and top-of-the-range Heineken.

However its iron grip on the market is under threat from mega-brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev.

It recently opened a new factory outside Lagos and launched Budweiser to face off against Heineken, in a fierce contest for millennial drinkers being played out across Africa.

Promotions have become an arms race among the beer companies, as they host concerts, fashion weeks and boat parties to win over customers.