After Ethiopia (2019) and two online versions in 2021 and 2022, the 4th Africa Brewing Conference was held again this June as a face-to-face event in Douala, Cameroon. With 120 participants from 20 nations, this event thus consolidated its status as an excellent communication and knowledge platform for technical leaders in Africa's brewing industry.
Africa has great potential and resources: a young population, positive economic development and widely dispersed deposits of various raw materials. It is therefore not surprising that beer is also a growth product in many African countries. The distribution in the more than 50 countries is very heterogeneous. The ranking of beer nations on this continent is headed by the Republic of South Africa (approx. 34 million hl annual production), followed by Nigeria (18 million hl), Ethiopia (15 million hl) and Angola (12 million hl). Finally, Cameroon comes in fifth place with about 8 million hl of beer. With a population of 28.9 million inhabitants, the Central African country has a per capita consumption of about 29 litres per year, with a share of 18 % in the gastronomy sector.
The clear market leader in beer is Boissons du Cameroun, part of the French Castel Group, whose breweries also produce Guinness and the Warsteiner brand "Isenbeck". Number two is the Union Camerounaise de Brasseries (UCB). Founded in 1972 by the Cameroonian multi-entrepreneur Joseph Kadji, the brewery has now reached its capacity limit of 1.8 million hl of beer and wants to expand further. It is followed at a distance by Brasseries Samuel Foyou (BRASAF), which started operations in Douala in 2022. In addition, a lively craft beer scene has also developed in Cameroon.
Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, is located in the interior, but the country's economic centre and largest city is the port metropolis of Douala, situated on the Atlantic coast. This is why the VLB chose this city as the venue for the Africa Brewing Conference.
After the online conferences in 2021 and 2022, the participants' expectations were therefore high. The lecture programme covered current aspects and innovations in the areas of brewing raw materials, brewhouse technology, fermentation, microbiology, sustainability, bottling and the digitalisation of brewing processes. The lectures were presented by VLB experts, invited speakers from breweries and specialists from the supply industry. The conference language was English, but the presentations were also translated into French, the official language of Cameroon.
The breweries "Boissons de Cameroun" (Castel Group) and the "Union Camerounaise des Brasseries" in Douala opened their doors to the conference participants. During both visits, the visibly proud and committed staff presented modern brewery and bottling facilities.
During the VLB Africa Brewing Conference, the Union Camerounaise de Brasseries (UCB) decided to join the VLB as a member. Roberto Biurrun, VLB coordinator for Africa and project manager of the event, said: "We are very pleased that we were able to convince Whalen Kadji from UCB of the benefits of VLB membership. It is an honour for all of us at VLB to be able to support this company in its future expansion plans." This makes the brewery the fourth VLB member company from Africa.
The VLB's next Africa Brewing Conference will be held in mid-2025. The location is yet to be announced.
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