Rwanda’s biggest brewer, Bralirwa, has started production of Heineken beer at its plant in the country’s western Gisenyi province, in a move meant to reduce retail prices and boost sales on the continent.
Local production is expected to cut retail prices by a fifth, according to the brewer.
Bralirwa, which produces local beers like Primus, has been importing Heineken made in the Netherlands.
Last year, the company announced the switch to brewing Heineken locally, saying this was made possible by investments in its plant.
The beer will also be exported to neighbouring countries. These include Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, as the brewer aims to meet growing demand.
The price per bottle of Heineken is expected to drop to 800 francs ($0.9231) from 1,000 francs, once local production kicks in.
Heineken is the world’s second largest beer.
Rwanda joins Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Ethiopia as local producers of Heineken in Africa.
