Hans van Mameren, Bralima’s managing director, said the outlook was positive despite uncertainty hanging over elections, as economic growth looked robust and any boost to infrastructure would see new markets open rapidly.
Bralima, which has been majority-owned by Heineken since 1986, has been operating in Congo since 1923 and makes the country’s most popular beer, Primus.
Mameren said 250 million euros would be spent on renovating the original brewery in Kinshasa and building a new one 40 km (35 miles) away. Another 150 million euros will be used to buy equipment and improve other breweries across the country.
Congo is due to hold its second post-war election on November 28 and the capital has already seen several violent protests.
Yet despite the political uncertainty and increased tensions, Mameren believes the country’s economy will continue to grow, as will people’s thirst for beer. “Even if they fight a war in parts of Congo, the economy keeps going,” he said.
Congo’s annual per capita consumption of beer is just 3 litres, as opposed to 20 litres in Nigeria and 30 litres in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville, according to Mameren.
Mameren said expansion is inevitable with population growth at around 3 percent and roughly one-third of the country’s 67 million people still unreachable by road.