The alcoholic beverages industry in West and Southern Africa is undergoing structural change, shaped by demographic growth, rising disposable incomes, urbanisation and evolving consumer preferences. The market is fragmented among multinational brewers, regional champions and local artisanal producers. Premiumisation, formalisation of informal channels, and regulatory shifts define the competitive dynamics. While growth opportunities are robust, challenges include excise tax volatility, illicit alcohol trade, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory fragmentation across borders.
Recent data from Data Commons, which integrates data from the World Health Organisation and similar authoritative datasets, provides insight into per-capita alcohol consumption across African regions. The indicator measures the litres of pure alcohol consumed per person (aged 15 years and above) on an annual basis. The countries leading in alcohol consumption globally are as follows: Romania (16.80 litres), Georgia (14.41 litres), Latvia (12.87 litres), Lithuania (12.10 litres) and the Czech Republic (11.99 litres). Uganda (11.30 litres) is the highest-ranked
