WINDHOEK – Based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2011 Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, Namibia is ranked fifth on the African continent in terms of annual alcohol consumption with the average Namibian consuming 9.62 litres of alcohol per year. The WHO measured this by the amount of pure ethyl alcohol consumed per capita per year by people aged 15 and older.
Namibia’s alcohol consumption is topped by Nigeria at number one at 12.28 litres per person per year, Uganda at number two at 11.93 litres per person, Rwanda at number three at 9.8 litres per person and Sierra Leone at number four at 9.72 litres per person per year.
According to the report Namibia has a wide breakdown of favourite drinks, but beer carries the most weight with 67 percent of alcohol consumption. Spirits make up 20 percent, wine makes up 7 percent and “others” chip are at 6 percent.
During the 2012 financial year Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) reached a historic milestone by selling over 1 million hectolitres of beer in Namibia.
However, when contacted for this year’s consumption figures an NBL employee said she is “not comfortable with giving out these figures”.
However, speaking to New Era yesterday, NBL’s Managing Director, Wessie van der Westhuizen, said the company is extremely active in the National Road Safety Council’s Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign. He also mentioned that the company’s Vigo brand is a perfect non-alcoholic alternative. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a beer but we have to educate Namibians to do so responsibly,” added Van der Westhuizen.
In stark contrast to Namibia, in Nigeria beer makes up just 6 percent of alcohol consumption, while “other” drinks make up 94 percent due to the high popularity of home-brewed beverages. Religious lawmakers in that country make it more difficult and expensive to produce and sell alcohol and as a result many Nigerians prefer ogogoro, which is a homebrew that has a high alcohol content. Ogogoro has a 30 percent to 60 percent ethyl alcohol content, depending on how it’s made, and is produced from the juice of raffia palm trees.
By Edgar Brandt