Heineken in Africa : A Multinational Unleashed

'Precisely and rigorously ticks off Heineken’s excesses and tribulations in Africa.' — Le Monde

For Heineken, ''rising Africa'' doesn''t just represent a promising future. The continent has proved highly lucrative for decades, with profits almost 50 per cent higher than the global average. In some African countries, beer costs more than it does in Europe. According to the Dutch brewer, this is not only good news for shareholders, but also for the economic development of the countries in Africa where it operates. But is it?After three years of research and hundreds of interviews, Olivier van Beemen concludes that Heineken''s presence has hardly benefited the continent at all, and may in fact be rather harmful. He tells the story of how Heineken faced considerable competition from indigenous beer brewing, which it tried to crush. He shows how Heineken collaborates with dictators, authoritarian governments and a convicted war criminal; how it''s using a mysterious Belgian operating company to avoid tax; and how the company is linked to human rights violations and high-level corruption.An unmissable book for anyone interested in how the world''s biggest companies operate in the developing world.