SABMiller : expands its operations in Ghana

SABMiller's Ghanaian subsidiary, Accra Brewery Limited (ABL),
will today officially open its new facilities which have been
upgraded as part of a $100m brewery expansion project at its
existing site in the centre of Accra.
The opening marks completion of the first phase of the
expansion project, which will see ABL double its brewing
capacity and allow it to continue to grow production and sales
of its flagship local brand, Club Premium Lager, and the other
brands in its portfolio.
Mark Bowman, Managing Director of SABMiller Africa, said:
"We have made significant investments in our West African
operations over the last three years, including our new and
expanded brewery in Onitsha, Nigeria, and the expansion of
our site in Accra. The long-term growth potential for the
African beer market is enormous and the investments we are
making today will ensure that we are prepared to capture the
growth tomorrow."
Work undertaken during the first phase of the project in Accra
includes installation of new packaging-lines, ten beer storage
vessels, warehouse and storage facilities and two new
autonomous power generators. The second phase of the
project will include installation of a new effluent treatment
plant, new brewing equipment and upgrading the municipal
water supply, as well as other upgrades on the site to be
completed before the end of 2015.
The first phase of expansion has created an additional 100
permanent new jobs at the brewery, adding to the existing
local workforce of just over 500. The expanded production
capacity of the new site will also generate growth and job
creation opportunities for the local suppliers and other small
retail and distribution businesses in ABL's value chain. ABL
currently sources locally grown brewing materials such as
maize, cassava, sorghum and rice from approximately 3,500
local farmers.
The Vice President of The Republic of Ghana, Kwesi Amissah-
Arthur, and the Minister of Trade & Industry will attend the
inauguration event held in Accra later today.
Ends
Notes to editors
SABMiller plc
SABMiller plc is in the beer and soft drinks business. We are
the world's second largest brewing company and are one of
the world's largest bottlers of Coca-Cola drinks. We also
produce a portfolio of wholly-owned soft drinks brands.
We are a FTSE-20 company, with shares trading on the
London Stock Exchange, and we have a secondary listing on
the Johannesburg stock exchange. We operate in more than
80 countries with around 70,000 employees.
Our brand portfolio includes leading local brands such as
Aguila (Colombia), Castle (South Africa), Miller Lite (USA),
Snow (China), Victoria Bitter (Australia) and Tyskie (Poland)
as well as global brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni
Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch. Every minute
of every day, more than 140,000 bottles of SABMiller beer are
sold.
In the year ended 31 March 2014, the group sold 318 million
hectolitres of lager, soft drinks and other alcoholic beverages,
generating group net producer revenue of US$26,719 million
and EBITA of US$6,460 1million.
Enquiries
SABMiller plc
t: +44 20 7659 0100
Richard Farnsworth
Business Media Relations
Manager
SABMiller plc
t: +44 20 7659 0188