E-Malt.com News article: Cameroon: Competition battle leads to transformation of beer bottle caps into currency

In Cameroon beer bottle caps are used as currency , which is a part of a promotion frenzy by rival breweries, BBC reported. Fierce competition between beer companies has seen 20 million bottles given away since the start of the year.

The prizes, that are revealed beneath the bottle top, include mobile phones, luxury cars and more beer. "Virtually every consumer of beer in Cameroon has a chance of winning," says Mr. Etonge a local journalist.

"Virtually every consumer of beer in Cameroon has a chance of winning .Sometimes you go out just for a bottle and you find yourself coming back with four or six free bottles because of winning caps. Taxi drivers are also using the caps in their fishy deals with the traffic police," adds Mr Etonge. "So they can get off by giving one or two caps to the officers."

He says Cameroon customarily has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in whole Africa and that authorities have not expressed concern about this trend


24 August, 2005