The Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has launched the fourth edition of the SMASHED project in Abuja.
The SMASHED project is an annual BSG campaign against underage alcohol consumption delivered using thought-provoking drama and interactive workshops to engage adolescents, encouraging them to take a firm stance against underage drinking.
It is an initiative of Collingwood Learning UK and is delivered in Nigeria by the BSG, an association of brewers in Nigeria, currently comprising Guinness Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries and International Breweries.
“The campaign against underage drinking is only a part of a broader contribution of the BSG to the discourse on the harmful use of alcohol,” Baker Magunda, chairman of the beer sectoral group at MAN said in a statement.
“As a socially responsible sector, the BSG will continue to campaign against the harmful use of alcohol and will be glad to partner with and support the government in this regard, as the opportunities arise.”
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The SMASHED project was introduced in Nigeria in 2018 and has so far been delivered in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Oyo, Delta, Kwara and Akwa-Ibom states, covering over 100 different localities, both urban and rural.
In Nigeria, the project has been delivered to over 65,000 students in over 350 public and private schools and has enjoyed the immense cooperation of the Federal and State Ministries of Education, as well as principals, teachers, guidance counsellors and students – with more of them understanding the risk factors associated with underage drinking and how to detect and prevent such risks from materializing.
The BSG plans to continue to deliver the SMASHED Projects on an annual basis, with a commitment to ensuring that more young Nigerians are poised to making positive choices with regards to their wellbeing.
Other social initiatives of the BSG include its annual Don’t Drink & Drive campaign aimed at educating the general public on the dangers of drink-driving and delivered using motor park rallies and billboard campaigns.
The Don’t Drink & Drive campaign has so far been delivered in Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt and has included the donation of breathalysers by the BSG to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
