HEINEKEN established its
first brewery on the African
continentlin 1923 in the DRC
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addition to the clinics, the HEINEKEN
Africa Foundation's trust of over €20
million runs 36 health-related projects,
including a malaria-prevention scheme
in Nigeria.
Sustainable Future
HEINEKEN's ambitions in Africa
cut across various disciplines:
from leadership to production and
investments, Siep says. "At present
about 50% of the raw materials for our
regional brands are locally grown. I'm
confident that we'll exceed our ambition
of 60% by 2020.
"We anticipate considerable volume
growth in the coming decades
and, at the same time, increased
local production. We've designed a
leadership programme to train African
professionals to help us meet our goals.
By 2020, the majority of our local
management team and leadership will
consist of Africans. It's not only common
sense, but it's also unsustainable to fly
in expats when you have well-trained
people on the ground."
Innovation is Crucial
In 2020, Africa will be home to two
billion inhabitants, skewed towards a
younger population. The continent is
already a hotspot for the beer industry.
"So you can imagine, with increased
urbanisation, GDP growth and people
climbing the social ladder, Africa's
potential is immense," Siep predicts.
Of every five litres of fermented drinks
consumed in Africa, one is brewed
commercially and the rest are home
brewed. HEINEKEN is aiming to attract
new consumers from the home-brew
segment through brand extensions and
innovations. "Marketing and branding
are important, but in Africa innovation
is crucial. Consumers are evolving and
looking for new things through which
they can express themselves. You have
to innovate and grow along with them,
so we're investing heavily in making our
brands more relevant and appealing.
The recent re-launch of the Star bottle
in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and the
introduction in the DRC and Nigeria of
larger PET bottles for sharing at home
are typical examples of this."
Investing in Africa is one of the major
priorities for HEINEKEN. "The vast
majority of our investment is devoted to
state-of-the-art technology," says Siep.
"We're also expanding our footprint
to countries in which we believe there
is a real potential. In 2011, we bought
two state-owned breweries in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has a population of 85 million
and GDP per capita growth of 9%, a
developing middle class, and population
growth of more than 2%. In other words,
there's potential right now as well as in
the medium and long term. We believe
in Africa and we intend to grow with it.X
Legend Extra Stout from Nigerian Breweries
received the prestigious Gold Quality Award
at the 2012 Global Monde Awards
In 2012 the Heineken® UEFA cup star final
was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa
Quarter A 2012 World of HEINEKEN
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