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By Merit Ibe
Stakeholders recently highlighted the commitment of the International Breweries (IBPlc) to smart drinking and its implementation of a collaborative solution to disrupt harmful drinking.
They made the remarks at a smart drinking roundtable session organised by the IBPlc, a member of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a global beer brand, held in Lagos.
The event, which saw the launch of a Responsible Beverage Service(RBS) in Nigeria, brought together eminent stakeholders in the health, safety, transport and hospitality sectors to discuss responsible drinking with the theme: “Enhancing the Social Consciousness around Responsible Beverage Service: A Collective Responsibility of Stakeholders.”
RBS is a first of its kind intervention programme with the objective of contributing to the reduction of alcohol-related harms caused by drunk driving, underage drinking, binge drinking, gender-based violence and alcohol consumption by pregnant women.
In his address, Managing Director, IB Plc, Hugo Rocha, said since 2018, smart drinking has become part of the company’s DNA and “we will continue to strive to bring that culture to our communities. Our commitment extends far beyond saying “drink responsibly,” it spans our global smart drinking goals, the work of the AB InBev Foundation, the commitments of our brands and the behaviours that we ask our consumers to practise every time they pick up a beer.”
Rocha further explained that the business of the company was more than making a sale, rather, a focal point of making the world a better place and bringing cheers to its stakeholders.
The keynote speaker and President, Society for Adolescent and Young people’s Health in Nigeria, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, stated that to achieve optimal results from the RBS and other interventions targeting harmful alcohol use, partnership is key. “Raising social consciousness and actions to reduce harmful alcohol use is only possible through collaborative efforts by the government, non-governmental organisations and communities.”
Legal & Corporate Affairs Director, IBPlc, Temitope Oguntokun, said: “We are proud to announce we have been shortlisted to be one of the representatives in 15 select countries where the rollout of the RBS initiative will be done by AB InBev, globally. In Africa, we are among three countries that were shortlisted – Nigeria, Zambia and South Africa. Last year, our organisation celebrated 50 years and this great news is adding to the euphoria of that achievement.
“With the RBS, our target is to train 10,000 people within that value chain on issues of alcohol abuse. When underage pregnant women go into a bar, they will ensure these sensitive segments are not served alcohol. They will also discourage binge drinking and implement mystery shopping where mystery shoppers will be at bars monitoring bars that serve children or pregnant women,” she added.”
– non-compliant bars are awarded a red card while compliant bars get a green card with some incentives,” she added.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Emmanuel, who was represented by Mrs Olubunmi Arebeana, Director, Food and Drug Services Department of the ministry, highlighted the role of corporate organisations like IBPlc in promoting responsible alcohol consumption through evidence-based initiatives.
He reiterated the commitment of the Ministry towards effective collaboration with relevant stakeholders in curbing the harmful consumption of alcohol and protecting the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
The representative of the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, the Director, Medical Administration and Training, Dr. (Mrs) Shokunbi Olufunmilayo Modupe, commended the initiative and congratulated the International Breweries Plc for being one of the countries to represent Africa on the global stage.
A panel of four discussants made up of representatives of Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ayo Ologun; a member of the Nigerian Medical Association with expertise in public health, Dr Kemi Odukoya; Vice President 1, Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria, Mrs Comfort Ogbonna and the Company Secretary/General Counsel, International Breweries Plc, Muyiwa Ayojimi tackled the issue of alcohol abuse and how to stem the tide among consumers.
