This morning law enforcement started to remove alcohol-related banners, billboards, and advertisements from public places. After three months of a grace period, The Food and Medicine Administration Proclamation No.1112 article 74(4) that bans advert of alcoholic products through TV, radio & billboard starts to take effect as of today May 29, 2019.
The Food and Medicine Administration also launched a call center 8482 where the public can call and tip the administration for any form of an alcoholic advertisement being displayed and advertised publicly. Aside from the ban on alcohol advertisement the law also raises the age limit for alcohol buyers to 21 from the initial 18 years old bar.
The WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol released in 2004 showed that in Ethiopia, a total of recorded 0.91 liters of pure alcohol are consumed per capita each year by people aged 15 and above while the unrecorded (non-commercial) alcohol consumption is estimated to be 1.0 liters of pure alcohol per capita, making it one of the countries with high level of alcohol consumption. In the past ten years, beer companies increased significantly, which increased the number of alcohol consumers as well.
