Nile Breweries Limited named Nkanyiso Mncwabe as its new Managing Director effective Jan. 1, 2026, the company announced early this week.
Mncwabe succeeds Adu Rando, whose term ended Dec. 31. Company officials credited Rando with leading the brewery through a period of market expansion and operational growth.
Mncwabe joins the Ugandan brewer from South African Breweries, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he served as regional commercial director. His career spans more than 20 years in executive leadership, including roles in general management, trade marketing and logistics across several African markets.
From 2019 to 2021, Mncwabe was the commercial director for Lesotho, followed by a similar role in Eswatini from 2021 to 2022. He currently serves on the boards of Eswatini Beverages and SAB SHARP.
Emmanuel Njuki, the legal and corporate affairs lead at Nile Breweries, said the company is confident in Mncwabe’s ability to lead its next growth phase.
“His proven track record of driving commercial excellence across multiple African markets, combined with his deep understanding of the AB InBev system, positions him ideally to lead NBL’s continued growth,” Njuki said.
Mncwabe holds a master’s degree in business leadership from the University of South Africa and is undergoing executive training at Hult Ashridge International Business School.
Established in 1951, Nile Breweries operates facilities in Jinja and Mbarara. The company produces brands such as Nile Special, Club Pilsener and Castle Lite. As part of the AB InBev group, the brewer works with more than 25,000 farmers across 32 districts in Uganda through its barley and sorghum programs.
