A wise man once said, “beer, the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems”. More recently, Center for Global Development (CGD) Senior Fellow, Charles Kenney published an article in Foreign Policy magazine called “Chug for Growth” discussing the role of beer and beer manufacturing in developing countries. Ever since the development profession (for lack of a better word) began, people have been trying to determine what defines development. And Kenney thinks he may have figured it out….
It turns out beer is also a major employer and engine for economic growth. Kenney sites the growth of such industries in Rwanda, Ethiopia and Juba, Sudan. And points to SABMiller in Juba, which invested more than $50 million dollars into their brewery in the Southern Sudanese city. As he notes, “SABMiller’s brewery will provide tax revenue, lease payments, more than 200 local jobs, and increased demand for local agricultural produce.” Meanwhile, East African Breweries in Kenya has over a $1 billion in market cap, so clearly the size of these breweries and the investments made mean that they can become the backbone of smaller, but growing economies.
Ideas with Impact
These are interesting and valuable ideas, organizations, research, and books I've come across on the great digital highway.
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Does Beer Equate to Development?
