Cameroon Ranks 5th in Africa for Beer Production
Cameroon produced 9.3 million hectolitres of beer in 2024 (about 930 million litres), up 2.1% from 2023, according to the July update from analytics firm BarthHaas. The country held its 5th place on the continent, behind South Africa (37M hl), Nigeria (19.1M hl), Angola (16.2M hl) and Ethiopia (13.7M hl).
The output far exceeds that of Côte d’Ivoire (4.8M hl), Kenya (4.2M hl) and Ghana (2M hl). Within CEMAC, Cameroon alone produced more than its five neighbours combined (7.19M hl). Africa-wide production reached 160.5M hl (+6.7%), while global volumes edged down 0.3%.
The steady climb reflects both resilient demand and new investment. Since 2022, two industrial breweries have come onstream: Brasaf (backed by businessman Samuel Foyou) and Swiss African Premium Beverage (SAPB), founded by Swiss entrepreneur Eser Karatas, which markets ROX with an annual capacity of about 50,000 hl. Market leader SABC—a Castel subsidiary that now controls close to 80% of sales following the Guinness Cameroon acquisition—continues expanding capacity across the country.
Analysts say the next test is execution: keeping cost pressures in check (energy, packaging, distribution) while premium and malt-based innovations capture value without eroding mass-market volumes.