{"id":4716,"date":"2026-10-19T15:04:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T15:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4716"},"modified":"2026-10-19T15:04:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T15:04:20","slug":"more-than-200-alcohol-producers-were-awaiting-licences-when-crackdown-began-minister-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/19\/more-than-200-alcohol-producers-were-awaiting-licences-when-crackdown-began-minister-says\/politics\/national\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 200 alcohol producers were awaiting licences when crackdown began, minister says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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More than 250 factories producing substandard alcoholic drinks known locally as ibyuma<\/em> had been shut down, while about 200 other applicants were awaiting licences to enter the market, Health Minister Dr Sabin Nsanzimana has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to members of the National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations last week, Nsanzimana said production of the drinks had expanded rapidly, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as entrepreneurs sought to profit from the growing market without adequately considering the health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said some producers initially made the drinks from bananas but later turned to ethanol and flavouring powders designed to imitate the taste and smell of bananas or other ingredients, as the cost of bananas increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the COVID period, the number of these factories rose sharply, reaching about 250,\u201d the minister said, explaining how production of the substandard drinks had grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nsanzimana said other entrepreneurs had applied for licences to establish similar factories but had not yet started operating. He added that some producers were operating illegally without the required authorisation, although their exact number was not known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister urged those who had planned to manufacture ibyuma<\/em> to consider alternative businesses, including food production, non-alcoholic beverages and other products that contribute to public health and the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe advise them not to wait to resume making these drinks, but to look for other things Rwandans need, whether food, non-alcoholic drinks or nutritious products,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that businesses should focus on products that benefit consumers rather than those that damage their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the forum questioned how so many producers had been able to operate or seek licences despite the risks associated with the drinks. They also raised concerns about the role of public institutions responsible for licensing and inspecting food and beverage producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Alvera Mukabaramba, president of the Party for Progress and Concord (PPC), said members had struggled to understand how the number of alcohol producers had grown to more than 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government began intensifying measures to stop the production and distribution of substandard alcoholic drinks in August. Authorities have since reported a decline in some alcohol-related health emergencies and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the October 15 meeting, Nsanzimana said cases involving people treated for injuries linked to fights and assaults had fallen substantially following the measures. Other media reports citing his remarks put the decline in such cases at around 80 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has said the crackdown is intended to protect public health and prevent the sale of alcoholic drinks made with unsafe or improperly controlled ingredients. The minister urged prospective producers to pursue businesses that meet safety requirements and serve the needs of consumers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 250 factories producing substandard alcoholic drinks known locally as ibyuma had been shut down, while about 200 other applicants were awaiting licences to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,41,34,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-hot_topics","category-national","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4718,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716\/revisions\/4718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}