Appraising Nigeria’s Brewing Giant at 78
Raheem Akingbolu writes on Nigeria’s brewing industry and how history has positioned the first player in the industry, Nigerian Breweries Plc, to remain the market leader
The story of the Nigerian brewing industry is not complete without Nigerian Breweries Plc, the pioneer and largest brewing company in Nigeria.
Incorporated in 1946 as ‘Nigerian Brewery Limited’, fast forward 44 years later, its name was changed to ‘Nigerian Breweries Plc’, reflecting its public limited liability status, following the coming into effect of the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 1990. Over seven decades, the company continues to strengthen its leadership position in the industry through innovations, championing a heritage of quality and sustainability.
Since the first bottle of Star Lager Beer rolled out of its Lagos Brewery in June 1949, a landmark for local production, which sparked a one-of-a-kind refreshment in the Nigerian social scene, the story has been from good to great in the expansion of its lager portfolio, introduction of an exciting range of non-alcoholic brands, stout and spirit drinks. To expand its journey ‘beyond beer’, the company acquired Distell Wines and Spirits Nigeria Limited last year, marking its expansion into the Nigerian market with a more enriching portfolio of quality drinks in wines, spirits, and flavored alcoholic beverages, underscoring its commitment to catering to the diverse needs of consumers.
Giant Stride
Woven into the fabric of the company is a purpose to inspire a better world – by brewing the joy of true togetherness with moments that bring people together, create bonds and remain etched in memories. This purpose breathes passionately in the commitment to creating joyful and lasting memories of merriment, which is embodied in the company’s values of Passion for Customers and Consumers, Enjoyment of Life, Care for People and Planet, and Courage to Dream and Pioneer.
As Nigeria’s brewing giant, Nigerian Breweries Plc leads the way with courage and boundless capacity to dream, pioneering innovation in new products and setting standards in sustainability for the care of the people and planet through initiatives that enable people, communities and the planet to thrive. At the heart of everything is the quest to cater to its growing consumer expectations, brewing the highest quality of products in over 21 brands enjoyed locally and globally.
Sustainability and Responsibility
As a socially responsible company, its three pillars of Sustainability, namely Social, Responsible and Environmental, have been very impactful, contributing to its footprints across the country. Fueled by the philosophy that “we can only thrive if the planet and our communities thrive”, Nigerian Breweries Plc has raised its bar in support of the UN SDGs putting sustainability and responsibility at the front and centre of its operations. It continues to raise targets on climate action, accelerate efforts to support the social agenda, and being bold to promote moderate consumption of alcohol.
In terms of community impact, the company has implemented several youth empowerment initiatives, including the Women and Youth Empowerment Programme, which, as of 2023, has upskilled2,365 youths across the country in 20 skill areas, including confectionery (baking), cosmetology, hairdressing, solar panel installation, cell phone repairs, barbing, fashion design, marketing, block molding, among others. Notably, in 2023, Nigerian Breweries partnered with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to empower 1,000 youths across 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory through an intensive skills development programme.
Following their training, beneficiaries of the Youth and Women Empowerment Programme are equipped with essential startup tools to support the early years of their entrepreneurial journeys. . The company’s community impact spans diverse initiatives, including advancing education at all levels in Nigeria and improving access to clean water and adequate sanitation.
In the promotion of responsible consumption and pursuing strategies to help minimise the negative impact of irresponsible alcohol use, the company collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders including NGOs, governments, consumer groups, sales outlets and others to entrench a culture of moderation and informed decision-making in alcohol consumption. One notable partnership is with the Federal Road Safety Corps through campaigns such as Don’t Drink and Drive (DD&D) campaign. This collaboration includes the donation of breathalyzers and ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving to promote road safety.
Stemming from its “Brew a Better World” strategy, the company’s environmental sustainability journey is anchored on three key ambitions: Net Zero, Healthy Watersheds, and Circularity. Since 2018, Nigerian Breweries has made significant strides towards increasing renewable energy use in its production processes. This includes renewable electricity from solar and hydropower solutions, as well as renewable thermal energy derived from biogas, waste heat recovery, and sustainable biomass. These efforts place the company on track to achieve its goal of Net Zero Emissions in production by 2030 and across its value chain by 2040.
Notably, solar energy installations include a 663.6 KWp system commissioned in May 2021 at the Ibadan brewery and a 4,000 KWp system commissioned in February 2023 at the Ama brewery. With ongoing energy installation and expansion projects across breweries in Ibadan, Lagos, Ama, Kaduna, and Aba, Nigerian Breweries, in partnership with CrossBoundary Energy, Konexa, and Daystar Power Energy Solutions, Nigerian Breweries continues to advance its renewable energy agenda.
Towards healthy watersheds, Nigerian Breweries in partnership with the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry, with technical support from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), is leading a reforestation project at the Olokemeji Forest Reserve. To date, this initiative has resulted in the planting of over 280,000 trees, with plans to achieve 600,000 trees by 2031, restoring over 500 hectares of degraded land, balancing water used in their water-stressed sites and promoting ecosystem health.
Education and National Development
Driven by a commitment to contribute to nation building through education, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund was established in 1994 with a take-off grant of N100 million. This visionary initiative has made significant contributions to the development of education in Nigeria by funding educational infrastructure projects, providing training for educators, supporting educational research activities and donation of books.
To deepen its impact, the Fund introduced the ‘Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition’ in 2015, designed to promote quality learning and celebrate the invaluable contributions of teachers to society. Since its inception, the competition has recognized 278 outstanding teachers and equipped nine schools with educational infrastructure, including classrooms, computer laboratories, language laboratories, and multipurpose halls tailored to their respective needs.
In its 10th edition this year, the prizes were increased to broaden the opportunities for growth and development for the winners, with the overall winner receiving N10 million, the first runner-up N3 million, the second runner-up N2.5 million, and other (34) State Champions awarded N1 million each.
Excellence in 78 Years
In 78 years of its existence, Nigerian Breweries Plc has contributed to the growth of every sphere of human endeavor in Nigeria through various empowerment programs. Many still remember Star Quest, a musical talent show which launched the career of leading Nigerian artistes like Kcee. Same as the invitation of international artistes to Nigeria for the Star Mega Jam concert which featured legendary Congolese soukous singer, Awilo Logomba among other stars. There was the Maltina Dance All Competition which got people glued to their television sets as families danced to win prizes. It was a subtle way of preaching family values of unity, love, strength and support. There was the Gulder Ultimate Search which provided a launch pad for several actors including the fast-rising Kunle Remi. Even, journalists were not left out of the celebration with the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Awards – an annual award that recognised outstanding journalism in Nigeria.
Without exaggeration, Nigerian Breweries have come a long way in building a great society by contributing immensely through job creation, skill empowerment, and business growth which reinforce its slogan ‘…Winning with Nigeria”. As it continues to blaze its trails to attaining an impressive milestone of 80 year of operation in 2026, Nigerian Breweries stands out as a company that is indeed evergreen, enduring and here to stay.
