Tag: COVID-19

South Africa restricts off-site alcohol sale over Easter weekend, BaSa slams the decision

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SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa has announced a partial ban on the sale of alcohol over the long Easter weekend to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Addressing the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said alcohol fuels reckless behaviour, and for this reason, the government has banned the sale of alcohol that is taken away from the point of sale to be consumed elsewhere. The ban will be in effect from Friday, 2 April until Monday, 5 April, which is the duration of the Easter holiday. “The sale of alcohol for…

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Uganda Breweries Limited launches US$1m fund to revive bars from Covid-19 impact

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UGANDA – Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL), subsidiary of East Africa Breweries Limited has officially rolled out its US$1 million Raising the Bar fund, aimed to support pubs and bars recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, once the government allows them to resume operations.  The initiative has been adopted from EABL’s parent company Diageo US$100 million kitty, launched in July 2020 across its different markets. In East Africa, the Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) got the lion’s share receiving US$3 million while Uganda Breweries Limited and Serengeti Breweries Limited of…

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Kenyan bars face indefinite closure in five counties, sale of alcohol banned in eateries

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KENYA – The government of Kenya has indefinitely suspended operations of bars in the capital Nairobi and four other counties as COVID-19 infections hit record levels in the East African nation. President Kenyatta, in an address to the nation has termed the five counties i.e., Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu, and Nakuru as “disease-infected areas” since 70 per cent of Kenya’s COVID-19 infections cases were recorded in the said counties. As part of a string of new measures aimed at combating the increasing cases of COVID-19, Bars and all liquor joints…

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COVID-19 interrupts Southern Africa, USA agricultural trade slashing it by 17% in 2020

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SOUTH AFRICA – The bullish Southern Africa and United States agricultural trade which has always ranged from US$983 million to about US$1.7 billion per year, since 2010 was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the disruptions and measures implemented to address COVID-19 such as lockdowns, agricultural trade between the counties declined by 17% to US$1.4 billion in 2020, from US$1.6 billion in 2019. According to a GAIN report by USDA, U.S agricultural exports to Southern Africa were the most affected decreasing by 23 percent to US$483.7 million in…

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Pub owners call for easing of COVID-19 restrictions, legislators reject bill to raise minimum alcohol packaging

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KENYA – Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK) have appealed for the revision of operating hours to include a potential lift of the night time curfew in a bid to enable full recovery of the alcohol and hospitality industries. Recently, there have been growing calls to end curfew hours against a steady rise in the number of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. According to PERAK, the COVID-19 restrictions have immensely affected their businesses and caused economic damage highlighting that more than 30% of its members have had to…

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2020: A Review: Investments in new plants continue in Africa but Covid-19 impacts pace

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Africa’s food and beverage market is worth more than US$313 billion and is projected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030. To spearhead growth, players in the industry have been raking in huge amounts of investments channelled towards upgrading facilities and systems, product innovations, expansions, technological advancements, among many others, with the anticipation of more efficient and cost-effective operations, which ensure higher returns and leadership in the market place. By Catherine Wanjiku Nigeria In Nigeria both local companies and multinationals with subsidiaries in the country invested in their organizations and the…

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IFAD grants Nigeria US$900,000 to support small-scale farmers recovery from COVID-19 impact

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NIGERIA – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has issued a grant of US$900,000 to Nigeria aimed to supports small-scale producers and rural households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The support has been channelled through IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) to enable the farmers rebuild and recover in the post-crisis period, targeting small-holders in seven northern states of Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, more than 8,000 vulnerable smallholders in the region will receive an agricultural stimulus and…

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SA craft breweries in dire need of resumption of alcohol trade or risk collapse

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SOUTH AFRICA – The current ban on alcohol sales in South Africa is pushing craft brewers to the brink of closure with 87.5% of the businesses at a risk of shutting down permanently due to the economic impact of the ban. Already, 30% of the local breweries have been forced to permanently shut their doors and 165,000 people have lost their jobs. This was revealed by Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA) who undertook a survey amongst its members to assess the impact of COVID-19 and its related restriction…

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South African Breweries suspends contracts of 550 temporary workers as booze ban continues

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SOUTH AFRICA – It’s nearly a month since the government of South Africa reinstated the ban on alcohol sales and no word has been heard from the officials pertaining resumption of trade. Major industry bodies, associations and trade unions have warned of further job losses, collapse of businesses, dwindling income and billions of rands in lost tax revenue for government. The two previous alcohol bans resulted in 7,400 job losses and E14.2 billion (US$974 million) in lost sales for the beer industry, while the government lost R7.4 billion (US$485m) in…

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SA booze ban forces Heineken to cut workforce by 7%

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SOUTH AFRICA – Heineken SA has announced that it will trim its workforce by 7% in 2021 necessitated by the tough trading environment brought by the alcohol ban. The brewer says given the continued market pressure in South Africa, it became necessary to restructure its operations and reverse some of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. The Netherlands-based company, whose brands include Windhoek, Amstel and Soweto Gold, employs 1 000 people at in its South Africa operations, and with the 7% cuts it means 70 people will be rendered jobless. “In…

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