Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL) has kicked off a campaign that will cost the company Tsh2.3 billion ($10 million) to keep bars and eateries in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam open as the eastern nation struggles to rein in the impact wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign will be expanded to cover other major towns to protect their staff and customers against the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

SBL’s support was made public at a time the world is struggling to recover from the vagaries inflicted by the global pandemic (Covid-19). While everyone wants to transcend the journey from failure to triumph, which as a notion, provides food for thought, SBL has identified conditions critical against all communicable diseases in the country, which include Covid-19.

Dubbed Raise the Bar or Tunyanyuke Pamoja, it will be a two-year programme starting in July 2021 and will offer outlets free access to digital training and support via www.diageobaracademy.com.

According to SBL Managing Director Mark Ocitti, this initiative complements the government’s efforts to ensure people and businesses maintain hygiene to shield themselves against communicable diseases, Covid-19 included.

“In our initiative, we will support resilience, resolve and re-imagination to on-trade in Tanzania. The ultimate goal is to rise again, hence the name of our new project, Raise the Bar or Tunyanyuke Pamoja. The project will cover 2,000 outlets in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza cities,” he said.

The project will support on-trade through Tunyanyuke Pamoja in several ways, from training the outlet owners and staff against communicable diseases to providing technical equipment to transforming their outlets, according to Ocitti.

This programme by SBL is part of a global campaign by Diageo to enable bars to respond to the impact of Covid-19. Other major cities in the world that will benefit from the programme are Nairobi, Kampala, New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Sydney, among others.

The Raise the Bar programme was designed following a survey of bar owners to identify key priorities to support the reopening of their business. Their top priorities included hygiene measures, digital support and valuable equipment to transform how their outlets will work when they reopen.

The Raise the Bar programme will provide targeted support to help pay for the physical equipment needed for outlets to reopen. For example, it can provide initial funding for ‘hygiene kits’ with high-quality permanent sanitiser dispensers, medical-grade hand sanitisers and a range of personal protection equipment (such as masks and gloves), the programme will also help pubs and bars to establish partnerships with online reservations and cashless systems; mobile bars and outdoor equipment,” the MD elaborated.

From June 30, bar owners will be able to register their interest in the Raise the Bar campaign via www.diageobaracademy.com globally. Bar owners will receive regular updates on best practice training and resources and participate in global surveys to share insights as they rebuild their businesses.

The managing director explained, “Our bars and eateries constitute a critical part of our hospitality and service industry. Their universe employs thousands of people and benefits many more indirectly. We have launched Raising the Bar because so many outlets have recorded business slowdown as a result of this health crisis and therefore, the urgent need to recover.”

SBL has been a key player in Tanzania’s Covid-19 campaign since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country.

In March 2020, the company partnered with the ministry of health to create Covid-19 awareness by distributing flyers and posters throughout the country. A month later, SBL donated sanitisers to the Ministry of Health, again supporting the country’s effort to combat the further spread of Covid-19.

The impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality sector has been widespread, with the closure of venues. However, by providing access to free digital support, technology, training and equipment, Diageo is keen help bars keep their doors open.

• A Tell report