The Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has revealed that the ministry is in the process of working out a national policy on beer production.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Director of the Afro-Allied Division of the Industrial Development Department of the ministry, Mrs Olumuyiwa Ajayi-Ade, who represented the Minister during the launch of SMASHED project in Abuja.
The SMASH project was organized by the Beer Sectoral Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.
The policy is being brewed by the ministry in response to the contribution of the beer industry to the national GDP, job creation and other beneficial proceeds that has cropped from the industry.
“My ministry is in the process of developing a national policy for the sector because of the contribution of the industry to the nation’s GDP, job creation, wealth generation along its value chain. We are, therefore, inviting inputs from all relevant stakeholders in order to have a holistic policy for the sector,” the minister said, calling for contribution from key stakeholders.
In March this year the beer sector contributed $2.2bn to the Nigerian economy in 2019, according to the Worldwide Brewing Alliance’s new report on the global economic impact of the sector.
Also the global beer sector sustained over 309,000 jobs in Nigeria in 2019, which was equivalent to 0.4 per cent of national employment, or 81 per cent of employment in Aba.
It was also stated that the global beer sector supported $526m in tax revenues in Nigeria in 2019, which was 1.7 per cent of government revenue.
Also speaking at the launch was the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who said that underage consumption of alcohol is a major issue that demands interventions through moral education.
The minister who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Andrew Apeh, stressed the need to inculcate the right values and principles in children.
He added that the government and the private sector have a shared social obligation to make a positive impact on society, commending the BSG for taking a firm stance against the consumption of alcohol among people below the age of 18.
Earlier, the Chairman of BSG and the CEO of Guinness Nigeria Plc., Baker Magunda, noted that the project is intended to empower young people to make the right choices.
