KIGALI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) has closed more than 100 additional alcoholic beverage manufacturing facilities across the country and revoked their associated manufacturing licenses amid public health concerns.
In an announcement issued on Monday, the Rwanda FDA said an immediate nationwide removal of all related advertising materials is now in effect.
The move came a day after the national regulator announced Sunday that it had shut down eight liquor firms "in the interest of public health."
As with Sunday's directive, the Rwanda FDA urged manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to withdraw the affected products from the market and immediately stop distributing them, warning of punitive measures for non-compliance.
Among the affected companies are Kasesa Distillers and Distributors Ltd. and Yego Manufacturers Ltd.
The Rwandan Ministry of Health recently launched the "Tunywe Less" ("Let's Drink Less") campaign following a survey showing a significant rise in alcohol consumption among young people.
Speaking on a Rwanda Television talk show on Sunday, Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana said more than 500 people have been treated for complications linked to illicit brew this year, including about 50 deaths and more than 100 cases of vision loss.
According to the Rwanda Biomedical Center's 2022 population-based national survey on non-communicable disease risk factors, the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the country increased from 41 percent in 2013 to 48 percent in 2022. ■