Billionaire Dr. Martin Aliker recently sent his audience laughing after
recounting how rejection from a girl back when he was a university
student because he could not afford to buy her beer, was the birth of
his dream to one day own a brewery – where he could produce as much beer
as possible.
Today, he’s one of the richest men in Uganda and owns shares in East
African Breweries. He was giving a speech during the recent celebrations
of Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) turning 70, when he recounted the
interesting story…
It was back in late 1940s when taking beer had just become an in-thing.
He approached a beautiful girl in a club, but the lady would only have
time for him if he could buy her a bottle of beer.
approached this girl and she actually wanted to dance with me. The
condition was that I buy a beer. Back then a beer was only one shilling,
but I couldn’t afford it,” the billionaire said as quoted by Matooke Republic.
said that that disappointing experience roused a will in him to work his
way up and one day own a brewery.
“She rejected me because I couldn’t afford a beer but now I have a
brewery. That night was my inspiration to be part of a brewery business.
I vowed that one day I had to be involved in making beer,” the business
mogul told the amused crowd.
Dr. Aliker also owns shares in other companies including Nation Media
Group, National Insurance Corporation, Uganda Clays and Stanbic Bank,
and has sat in over 40 boards of companies.
He eventually got married to a good lady he met in the US when he was a student, and persuaded her to come to Uganda with him.