Table Of ContentCOUNTRY PROFILES                                                                                               AFRICAN REGION 
 
ALGERIA 
Recorded adult per capita consumption (age 15+) 
 
 
3
2.5
ol
h 2
o
alc Total
re  Beer
u 1.5
f p Spirits
o
s  Wine
e
tr 1
Li
0.5
0
1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001
Year
 
Sources: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003 
Last year abstainers 
 
Estimates  from  key  alcohol 
experts  showing  proportion  of 
adult males and females who had 
Total  been abstaining (last year before 
 
89% the survey). Data is for after year 
1995.1 
%  
8
% 9
e 80 male 
al e
M F
   
Unrecorded alcohol consumption 
The unrecorded alcohol consumption in Algeria is estimated to be 0.3 litres pure alcohol per capita for 
population older than 15 for the years after 1995 (estimated by a group of key alcohol experts).1 
Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004  1
© World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                   AFRICAN REGION 
Country background information 
Total population 2003  31 800 000  Life expectancy at birth (2002)  Male  67.5 
Adult (15+)  21 306 000           Female  71.2 
% under 15  33  Probability of dying under age 5 per 1000 (2002)  Male  54 
Population distribution 2001 (%)      Female  43 
Urban  53  Gross National Income per capita 2002  US$  1720 
Rural  47   In Algeria, approximately 99% of the population are Muslim. 
Sources: Population and Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat, World Bank World Development Indicators database, The 
World Factbook 2003, The World Health Report 2004. 
References 
1.  Alcohol per capita consumption, patterns of drinking and abstention worldwide after 1995. Appendix 2. 
European Addiction Research, 2001, 7(3):155–157.   
2                        Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004 
                       © World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                                                                                               AFRICAN REGION 
 
ANGOLA 
Recorded adult per capita consumption (age 15+) 
 
7
6
ol 5
h
o
re alc 4 TBeotearl
u
of p 3 Spirits
s  Wine
e
r
t
Li 2
1
0
1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001
Year
 
Sources: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003 
Traditional alcoholic beverages 
Traditional Angolan beer is brewed from the African palm nut.1 
Country background information 
Total population 2003  13 625 000  Life expectancy at birth (2002)  Male  37.9 
Adult (15+)  7 085 000           Female  42.0 
% under 15  48  Probability of dying under age 5 per 1000 (2002)  Male  279 
Population distribution 2001 (%)      Female  247 
Urban  35  Gross National Income per capita 2002  US$  660 
Rural  65    
Sources:   Population and Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat, World Bank World Development Indicators database, The 
World Health Report 2004 
References 
1.  Kabia  H.  Global  Beer  Network  (http://www.globalbeer.com/web/body_pages/pages-
 beer/Mongozo/Mongozo.html, accessed 28 March 2004). 
Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004  3
© World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                     AFRICAN REGION 
BENIN 
Recorded adult per capita consumption (age 15+) 
 
4
3.5
3
ol
h
alco 2.5 Total
re  Beer
u 2
f p Spirits
o
es  1.5 Wine
r
t
Li
1
0.5
0
1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001
Year
 
Sources: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003 
Abstainers in the city of Cotonou 
Survey conducted in the city of 
Cotonou in 1998 among people 
10  years  and  older  defined 
abstainers as non-users of alcohol 
(total sample size n = 540).1 
%  
3  
% .
8 4
e 16. male 1
Mal Fe
   
Regular drinkers in the city of Cotonou 
   
Survey conducted in the city of 
Total  Cotonou in 1998 among people 
25%  10 years and older (total sample 
size  n  =  540).  Drinking  was 
defined as regular drinking and 
having been intoxicated at least 
 
three times. The most consumed 
beverage was beer, followed by 
sodabi (distilled palm wine).1 
 
4                        Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004 
                       © World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                                                                                               AFRICAN REGION 
 
Traditional alcoholic beverages 
Shakparo beer is a traditional sorghum beer which has an important social, economic, ritual, nutritional and 
sanitary role in the Idashaland, Dassa-Zoume, in the savannah region of the Republic of Benin. It is traditionally 
brewed by Idasha women. It is brewed mainly from malted guinea corn. Sorghum, also called gros mil in 
French, seems to be the best cereal for brewing shakparo. The beverage has a fruity and sour taste, with a 
complex organic acid flavour and yoghurt and sorghum aroma. It is cloudy and yeasty in appearance with a 
brownish pink colour. The alcohol content ranges from 1% to 8% by volume. The traditional form of the product 
has a short shelf life and must be consumed within a few days.2 
Burukutu is a popular alcoholic beverage of a vinegar-like flavour prepared from sorghum grains. Fully matured 
burukutu beer has an acetic acid content which varies between 0.4% and 0.6%.3 
Palm wine, tchoukoutou (local beer) and sodabi (local spirit obtained by distilling palm wine) are also 
consumed in the Republic of Benin. 
Country background information 
Total population 2003  6 736 000  Life expectancy at birth (2002)  Male  50.1 
Adult (15+)  3 704 800           Female  52.4 
% under 15  45  Probability of dying under age 5 per 1000 (2002)  Male  166 
Population distribution 2001 (%)      Female  158 
Urban  43  Gross National Income per capita 2002  US$  380 
Rural  57    
Sources:   Population and Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat, World Bank World Development Indicators database, The    
World Health Report 2004 
References 
1.  Agossou T et al. L’alcool et les drogues à Cotonou. De la consommation à l’abus et aux mesures de 
protection. Alcoologie, 1999, 21(HS):231–237. 
2.  Okambawa R. Shakparo: a traditional West African sorghum beer   
(http://brewery.org/brewery/library/Shakparo.html, accessed 28 March 2004). 
3.  Haard NF et al. Fermented cereals: a global perspective. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of 
the United Nations, 1999 (http://www.fao.org/docrep/x2184e/x2184e07.htm, accessed 27 March 2004).  
Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004  5
© World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                   AFRICAN REGION 
 
BOTSWANA 
Recorded adult per capita consumption (age 15+) 
 
 
8 
7 
6 
 ohol 5  Total
c
al Beer
e  4 
ur Spirits
p
of  3  Wine
s 
e
Litr 2 
1 
0 
1961  1965  1969  1973  1977  1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 
Year
 
Sources: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003 
Last year abstainers 
 
Estimates  from  key  alcohol 
experts  showing  proportion  of 
adult males and females who had 
been abstaining (last year before 
Total 
the survey). Data is for after year 
 
53.5% 1995.1 
%  
0
% 7
e 37 male 
al e
M F
   
A survey conducted in 1986 among workers at different workplaces mainly in Setswana found that the rate of 
current abstainers was 50%. A greater proportion of male compared to female respondents stated that they were 
current drinkers.2 
Alcohol abuse 
According to data collected for the Botswana Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (BENDU) in 2003 from four 
treatment  centres,  alcohol  remains  the  most  common  primary  substance  of  abuse  reported  by  patients, 
accounting for 84% of the 72 patients. Home brews are the most common type of alcohol used as they are easily 
available and affordable.3 
Traditional alcoholic beverages 
Nyola is a home-brewed concoction prepared from commercially produced sorghum powder. About 750 grams 
of beer powder is mixed with five litres of warm water and allowed to ferment overnight before consumption.4 
Bojalwa (sorghum beer) and khadi are both home-brewed beer-like drinks that vary greatly in terms of taste, 
consistency and alcohol content depending on availability of ingredients and methods of fermentation. Indeed 
khadi could almost be described as a ‘designer alcohol’ often brewed to the consumer’s needs and tastes. It is 
6                        Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004 
                       © World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                                                                                               AFRICAN REGION 
 
made from a base or ‘mash’ that can consist of a combination of any of the following ingredients: wild berries, 
wild pumpkins, wild roots, oranges, sorghum and maize. Yeast, black tobacco or other unspecified substances 
are sometimes added to this base to give it ‘strength’, and there have been rumours around Ghanzi of car battery 
acid also being added.4 Khadi has a higher alcohol content than bojalwa and has often been the particular subject 
of proclamations and laws throughout Botswana’s colonial and modern legislative history.5 
Proprietary brand-name alcohol is popular if money is available. Industrially produced sorghum beers like 
Chibuku or ‘Shake-shake’ and commercial beers like ‘Castle’ and ‘Lion’ are consumed, and around Ghanzi, 
‘Clubman mint’, a cheap 23% alcohol mint punch sold in bottle stores is a favoured drink.4 
There are also a number of other local brews with a high alcohol content. The strongest, known as tho-tho-tho, is 
distilled from a sorghum concoction and can have an alcohol content of over 80% by volume. Others, which are 
brewed overnight from mostly yeast and sugar combinations, have such a high alcohol content that they go by 
ominous names such as o lala fa (you sleep right here), chechisa (hurry-up), laela mmago (say good bye to your 
mother), monna-tota (real man), motse o teng godimo (there is home in heaven), and so forth. Other less strong 
brews are made from wild fruits such as morula. They are, however, very seasonal.6 
It should be noted that one of the problems with home brews is that there is no quality control in their 
preparation and, concomitantly, no way of ascertaining their true alcohol content or assessing the true alcohol 
consumption of an individual drinking these brews over a period of time.4 
Unrecorded alcohol consumption 
The unrecorded alcohol consumption in Botswana is estimated to be 3.00 litres pure alcohol per capita for 
population older than 15 for the years after 1995 (estimated by a group of key alcohol experts).1 
Morbidity, health and social problems from alcohol use 
In terms of health-related consequences, it was claimed by medical staff in local government clinics that habitual 
drinkers among the Basarwa suffer from general self-neglect, particularly poor personal hygiene and a tendency 
to ‘forget’ to eat when drinking, which can lead to malnutrition. Physical side effects reported include pale skin, 
red eyes and weight loss with more serious cases developing symptoms of alcohol psychosis, particularly 
hallucinations and incoherence of thought.4  
Socially, alcohol is seen as a contributing factor to an increasing number of traumatic events and injuries 
reported at health facilities. Many of the injuries are sustained in violent physical fights or attacks in which 
sticks, knives and spears are commonly used. Wife beating is also claimed to be a more regular occurrence as is 
the beating of children by adults, hitherto unknown among the Basarwa.4  
The economic consequences of habitual alcohol use are devastating and act as distinct barriers to any sense of 
development. Informants stated that since a significant proportion of household income was spent on liquor, less 
cash was available for food, clothing and other essential items. As one informant succinctly stated: ‘alcohol 
makes poor people poorer’. A person who is regularly under the influence of alcohol will have little motivation 
or interest in working, unless it is to obtain money to buy more alcohol. One particular problem is that a regular 
drinker can easily become economically tied and indebted to alcohol vendors who are only too pleased to 
provide alcohol ‘on credit’.4 
A variety of delinquent acts and criminal offences were also perceived by workers to be associated with 
excessive alcohol consumption. One respondent reported that poaching by the Basarwa was the result of alcohol-
induced adventurism. Another indicated that it was not uncommon for male and female children to either 
withdraw or drop out from school after Standard 7 due to alcohol abuse and that some young girls in the Ghanzi 
squatter camp had prostituted themselves to buy alcohol.4 
Child neglect is an increasing problem when parents are intoxicated so early in the day that they are not able to 
prepare food for their children, even if there is food available. A concern is that some parents will sell food to 
buy alcohol while others will give alcohol to their children as a food substitute and to stave off hunger. 
Generally, the neglect of young children due to alcohol abuse means that these children are under-socialized as 
well as malnourished, leading to a refusal to attend school, begging and stealing for food, and other delinquent 
activities.4 
It has been noted that the fairly high prevalence of folate, thiamine and iron deficiency in the population of the 
Ghanzi and Ngamiland communities of western Botswana may be related in part to alcohol consumption. 
Alcohol-related violence was responsible for a substantial number of injuries to men, women and children. 
Alcohol is believed to contribute to spousal and child abuse, and is a major cause of social conflict.7 
Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004  7
© World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                   AFRICAN REGION 
 
In a mixed economy such as Botswana, it is argued that one reward for seasonal labour was drinking alcohol. 
When the work is done for the day, the labour force drinks. And, they acquire a taste for the drink of their 
employers – European style clear beers and wines. Farmers have long ago realized the increased profits to be 
gained by paying their workforce partially in “tots” of inexpensive wine. For the employers, it was cheap – 
cheaper than paying African labourers only in cash.8 
Country background information 
Total population 2003  1 785 000  Life expectancy at birth (2002)  Male  40.2 
Adult (15+)  1 071 000           Female  40.6 
% under 15  40  Probability of dying under age 5 per 1000 (2002)  Male   104 
Population distribution 2001 (%)      Female  102 
Urban  49  Gross National Income per capita 2002  US$  2980 
Rural  51    
Sources:   Population and Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat, World Bank World Development Indicators database, The       
World Health Report 2004 
References 
1.  Alcohol per capita consumption, patterns of drinking and abstention worldwide after 1995. Appendix 2. 
European Addiction Research, 2001, 7(3):155–157. 
2.  Molamu L. Alcohol research and public policy in Botswana. Paper presented at the symposium on 
“Experiences with Community Action Projects for the Prevention of Alcohol and other Drug Problems”. 
Toronto, Canada, March 12–16 1989. 
3.  Parry CDH, Plüddemann A. Southern Africa Development Community Epidemiology Network on Drug 
Use (SENDU): January – June 2003. Cape Town, Medical Research Council, 2003. 
4.  Molamu L, Macdonald D. Alcohol abuse among the Basarwa of the Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts in 
Botswana. Drugs: education, prevention and policy, 1996, 3(2):145–152. 
5.  Recupero C. Alcohol legislation and development in Botswana from 1875 to the present: a review of the 
relevant literature. Social History of Alcohol Review, 1998, 36–37:50–70. 
6.  [Anonymous].  Food  and  selected  dishes.  Embassy  of  Botswana  Website,  Japan 
(http://www.botswanaembassy.or.jp/culture/body5.html, accessed 27 March 2004). 
7.  Hitchcock  RK,  Draper  P.  Health  issues  among  the  San  of  Western  Botswana 
(http://www.kalaharipeoples.org/documents/San-heal.htm, accessed 29 March 2004). 
8.  Suggs DN. “These young chaps think they are just men, too”: redistributing masculinity in Kgatleng bars. 
Social Science and Medicine, 2001, 53(2):241–250.  
8                        Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004 
                       © World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                                                                                               AFRICAN REGION 
 
BURKINA FASO 
Recorded adult per capita consumption (age 15+) 
 
6
5
ol
h 4
o
alc Total
re  Beer
u 3
of p Spirits
s  Wine
e
tr 2
Li
1
0
1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001
Year
 
Sources: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003 
Lifetime abstainers 
 
Data from the 2003 World Health 
Survey.  Total  sample  size  n  = 
4782; males n = 2255 and females 
n = 2527. Survey population aged 
Total  18 years and above.1 
63.7%  0%    
% .
e 63.4 male 64
al e
M F
   
 
Heavy and hazardous drinkers 
 
Data from the 2003 World Health 
Survey.  Total  sample  size  n  = 
4782; males n = 2255 and females 
n = 2527. Survey population aged 
Total 
18  years  and  above.  Definition 
 
11.6% % used: average consumption of 40 
2  
% . g or more of pure alcohol a day 
0 3
Male 10. Female 1  faolcr omhoeln  aa dnady 2 f0o rg w oorm meonr.e1  of pure 
   
According to the 2003 World Health Survey (total sample size n = 1580; males n = 764 and females n = 816), 
the mean value (in grams) of pure alcohol consumed per day among drinkers was 25.2 (total), 30.5 (males) and 
20.0 (females).1 
Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004  9
© World Health Organization 2004
COUNTRY PROFILES                   AFRICAN REGION 
 
Heavy episodic drinkers 
 
Data from the 2003 World Health 
Survey.  Total  sample  size  n  = 
4782; males n = 2255 and females 
n = 2527. Survey population aged 
Total 
  18  years  and  above.  Definition 
10.9%
used:  at  least  once  a  week 
%  
% 7 consumption  of  five  or  more 
e 13.9 male 7.  standard drinks in one sitting.1 
al e
M F
   
Youth drinking (lifetime abstainers) 
 
Data from the 2003 World Health 
Survey.  Total  sample  size  n  = 
1209; males n = 495 and females 
n = 714. Survey population aged 
18 to 24 years old.1 
Total  2%    
74.6%  e 74.1% male 75.
al e
M F
   
Youth drinking (heavy episodic drinkers) 
 
Data from the 2003 World Health 
Survey.  Total  sample  size  n  = 
1209; males n = 495 and females 
Total 
  n = 714. Survey population aged 
6.4%
18  to  24  years  old.  Definition 
used:  at  least  once  a  week 
%  
1 consumption  of  five  or  more 
e 8.4% male 5. standard drinks in one sitting.1 
Mal Fe
   
Note: These are preliminary, early-release, unpublished data from the World Health Survey made available exclusively for this report. Some 
estimates may change in the final analyses of the World Health Survey. 
 
Traditional alcoholic beverages 
The traditional beer, dolo, is made from sorgo or millet. Every region and every ethnic group have their own 
specific dolo. The Gourmantché in the East and the Samogo in the north-west brew it for four days.2 
Unrecorded alcohol consumption 
The unrecorded alcohol consumption in Burkina Faso is estimated to be 3.3 litres pure alcohol per capita for 
population older than 15 for the years after 1995 (estimated by a group of key alcohol experts).3  
 
 
10                        Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004 
                       © World Health Organization 2004
Description:A greater proportion of male compared to female respondents stated that they  
According to data collected for the Botswana Epidemiology Network on Drug Use 
 Palm wine (kue za) is the traditional beverage of the Baoulé of Côte d'Ivoire.