Africa represents a promising market for today's wine producers. Rapidly growing population, emerging urban consumer base and rising disposable income make it attractive.
Urban centers such as Lagos, Nairobi and Cape Town are driving the market and developing large consumer bases.
Still, it's not an easy market. Economic growth is not uniform throughout the country: while the infrastructure is still under development.
understanding the market
The continent is now emerging as one of the most dynamic beer markets worldwide. But it is not all the same. South Africa is the continent's most mature beer region: while countries such as Ethiopia and Tanzania represent fast-growing hubs.
Different markets have different rules and regulations, making this a complex area for brewers and one that can easily change.
Mergers and expansions promote growth
Against this backdrop, mergers and expansion drives are becoming a feature of Africa's lager beer market. Amid rising costs, competition has intensified among global brewers, local brewers and regional distributors.
Beer sales last year were estimated at approximately $32.48 billion (Statistica): Beer revenues generated from supermarkets and convenience stores increased by 6.5% to $28.8 billion, with restaurants and bars accounting for approximately $3.6 billion.
This comes as consumer preferences in the beer market in Africa are shifting towards craft beers and premium offerings. on analysts Statista says beer consumers in Africa are “becoming more interested in unique and delicious beer options as well as locally produced products”.
Nonetheless, international beer brands have expanded into African markets through distributor agreements and local production.
For example, Carlsberg stepped forward in Africa at the end of 2025: signed a deal With soft drinks maker, Varun Beverages, diversifying into beer on the continent.
Some African subsidiaries, including Zimbabwe (where the company already produces non-alcohol beverages), have been selected to test Carlsberg's sales.
This means that Carlsberg beer will compete in Zimbabwe against local producer, Delta Corporation.
Headquartered in Harare and listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, Delta (whose lager beer volume now stands at about 2.66 million hectoliters) is also optimizing capacity to meet growing demand.
Mergers and expansions of beer companies particularly dominated the African market last year, showing how attractive the region has been to international investors.
Castell, the French brewing company with a heavy presence in West Africa, has acquired Diageo's 80% stake guinness ghana. A few months ago, Diageo's stake in Guinness Nigeria was disposed of Tolaram.
Then came Asahi's big move into Africa: with Acquisition of East African Breweries Limited (the largest brewery in East Africa) in December. This is the first time that a major Japanese brewer has invested on such a large scale in an African alcoholic beverages business.
Sales of African beer to global brewers
Heineken maintained stable volumes in its Africa and Middle East division in 2025: against a backdrop where its global volumes declined by 1.2%.
AB InBev saw its mainstream beer portfolio grow in Africa (again, in contrast to the soft industry in Europe and North America). In South Africa, volumes grew by low single digits, expected to be an outperformance from the beer industry. Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda saw significant growth (businesses in Mozambique and Zambia reached their highest market volumes)
share in the last five years). However, with a softening industry, Nigeria beer volumes declined to the mid-teens in 2025.
In the first half of 2026, Diageo's sales in Africa (beer and spirits) increased by 10.9% (sales in North America decreased by 6.8% and in Asia Pacific by 11.1%).
The most important is the beer market of South Africa, which accounted for about 30% of the overall African market. With a consumption of approximately 150 million hectoliters as of 2019, it has become highly developed in terms of revenue with high interest in premium and craft beers.
But other markets such as Ethiopia offer huge potential: Heineken has identified it as one of the Fastest growing beer market in the world (This country is the second most populous country on the continent).
top brewers
Although AB InBev is the market leader, Heineken and other brands also have a significant presence on the continent
converting quantities into prices
The biggest paradox for Africa is that the continent has strong volume potential: but purchasing power remains weak. Despite demand, consumers' ability to pay is limited in many markets.
Africa is a long-term growth option with strong demographic headwinds, but it currently accounts for only 10-15% of AB InBev and Heineken's volumes.
Carlos Munoz, Scope Ratings
Winemakers know that Africa offers a rapidly growing population, emerging urban opportunities and a consumer eager for innovation. But these are opportunities that must be used carefully.