In Ghana, a bottle of Guinness is more than a beer. It is the drink many men order to show strength, the stout poured at funerals and celebrations, and the dark brew whose advertising has filled billboards for decades. Guinness Ghana Breweries has brewed it locally since the early 1970s, alongside Malta Guinness, a non-alcoholic malt drink that is just as popular. The company is one of the country’s biggest drinks makers and one of the best-known names on the Ghana Stock Exchange.
The beginning and Malta Guinness
Guinness began brewing in Ghana in the early 1970s at a brewery at Achimota in Accra. Before that, the stout had been imported. The version sold in Ghana is Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, a stronger and more bitter stout first developed for export markets. Malta Guinness is a sweet, non-alcoholic malt drink. It is popular with children, pregnant women and people who do not drink alcohol, and it is often served at parties.
In the 2000s, Guinness Ghana merged with Ghana Breweries Limited, adding a brewery in Kumasi and more brands.
Breweries, owners and the stock market
The company operates breweries in Accra and Kumasi, supplying markets across Ghana. Besides Guinness and Malta Guinness, the company has produced lagers and other drinks, including spirits-based brands. For many years the company was majority-owned by Diageo, the British drinks group that owns the Guinness brand. In 2024, Diageo announced it would sell its majority stake in Guinness Ghana to the Castel Group, a French drinks company.
Guinness Ghana is listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, and its results are closely followed by investors. The company has worked with Ghanaian farmers to source sorghum and other crops, reducing reliance on imported barley.
Advertising, competition and jobs
Guinness adverts in Ghana have long used images of strength and confidence. Some campaigns became part of popular culture. The company competes with Accra Brewery and other brewers, as well as with imported drinks and local spirits. Excise taxes, inflation and currency changes affect prices and profits in Ghana’s drinks industry. The breweries employ workers directly and support distributors, drivers and retailers across the country.
Guinness was first brewed in Dublin. Many Ghanaian drinkers think of it as a local beer, and in one sense they are right: the bottle in their hand was most likely brewed in Accra or Kumasi.