Heineken is set to hot up the competition in the African beer market after completing the buyout of two Ethiopian breweries.

The global beverage giant bought Harar and Bedele for $163 million and aims to enter the South Sudan market, which East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) plans to enter next year.

EABL intends to build a 700,000 hectolitre plant in the South Sudan capital Juba, intensifying the competition between itself, Heineken, SABMiller and Diageo, which owns a majority stake in EABL.

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London-based brewers SABMiller, which produces such brands as South Africa’s Castle Lager, Peroni and Grolsch, today made a direct bid to shareholders to takeover Australian company Foster’s.

Heineken’s President in charge of Africa and Middle East, Tom de Man, said the company would next target Kenya and Uganda.

“Exporting our beers to South Sudan and other neighbouring countries in the region is in our plan,” said De Man.

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