The BeSmartDrinkSmart theme came alive as Nile Breweries Limited staff and Corporate League members celebrated International Beer Day on August 5th at Levels Bar and Restaurant in Kamwokya. It was a night to indulge oneself albeit responsibly true to the beer maker’s goal to lead the industry in reducing the harmful use of alcohol.
Every so often, the host of the night, entertainer Edward Kiwanuka, popularly known as Mr Google challenged the revellers to show off their bottle of water or to confirm if they had had a meal with or before drinking their beer. These tips along with others such as don’t drink and drive, space your beers, securing safe means of transport before drinking, and avoiding unsafe alcohol were the highlight of the evening as Nile Breweries reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that customers enjoy a positive experience with alcohol.
“We believe that the harmful use of alcohol is bad not only for the consumer, families and communities but also for our business. That is why every year, we spend more than Shs250M to sensitize our customers and the general public about responsible alcohol drinking under our campaign branded Smart Drinking,” said Onapito Ekomoloit, Director, Legal & Corporate Affairs, NBL.
Onapito explained that NBL’s ambition is for consumers to become more educated, have more choices, and shift their social norms and behaviours so that their every experience with beer is positive. Thus, they are encouraged to develop these behaviours as a craft or an art. “Practicing those tips is the art of drinking smart,” said Flora Aduk, Communication Manager, NBL.
Revellers had a chance to test their knowledge of beer and smart drinking through a fun quiz. Winners walked away with gifts. The beer maker was also privileged to receive a gift in form of a painting interpretation of the art of drinking smart from one of the former winners of its Interuniversity Smart Drinking Challenge, Raymond Mukasa.
The activation was also in commemoration of Global Beer Responsible Day and a climax of a whole week of responsible drinking awareness campaigns in traditional media and social media which supplement the beer maker’s other behavioural change campaigns. Some include No Excuse for Sexual Harassment, Interuniversity Smart Drinking Challenge, and various road safety and blood donation campaigns among others.
Former Corporate League Chairman, Dennis Mbidde Ssebugwawo who was in attendance applauded Nile Breweries for educating the public about the proper consumption of its products. NBL established its Global Smart Drinking Goals in December 2015 to contribute to the World Health Organisation’s target of reducing the harmful use of alcohol by at least 10% in every country by 2025 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of strengthening the prevention of harmful use of alcohol globally.