As Guinness Nigeria celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, its most enduring legacy goes beyond its iconic beverages, it lies in its profound and lasting impact on Nigerian communities through sustained corporate social responsibility.

At the heart of this legacy are the Guinness Eye Centres located at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, and at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Onitsha. For over 32 years, these centres have provided quality, affordable, and often free eye care services to thousands of Nigerians.

Established in 1993 as part of Guinness Nigeria’s broader commitment to improving healthcare access, both centres have become beacons of hope—restoring dignity to individuals affected by a wide range of eye conditions.

They deliver essential care, train eye care professionals, and collaborate with partners such as Sight savers to implement impactful initiatives like free cataract surgeries. These efforts have enabled countless individuals to regain their sight, reclaim their independence, and return to productive lives.

The LUTH Eye Centre has evolved into a nationally recognised hub for both advanced care and specialist training. Accredited by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Surgeons, the centre has trained over 100 consultant ophthalmologists who are now serving across the country. Each year, it attends between 5,000 and 7,000 new patients, performs over 650 surgeries, and conducts large-scale school vision screenings and public awareness campaigns that reach more than 150,000 people.

Guinness Eye Centres

In December 2023, Guinness Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to the LUTH Eye Centre with a N161.3 million investment in comprehensive renovations. The upgrade included complete structural restoration, new roofing, modern plumbing and electrical systems, enhanced surgical theatres, and the provision of advanced diagnostic equipment. The addition of an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) machine has significantly improved the centre’s capacity to diagnose and manage complex conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Meanwhile, the Guinness Eye Centre at NAUTH continues to serve as a vital healthcare provider in the southeast for eye care and ophthalmic serving over 15,000 patients annually. As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, Guinness Nigeria is sponsoring 75 free cataract surgeries at each of the two centres, LUTH and NAUTH, bringing the total to 150 transformative procedures for individuals who might otherwise be left in darkness.

Guinness Eye Centres

Furthering this impact, Guinness Nigeria will donate medical equipment to LUTH and NAUTH, investments aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of both centres and ensuring they remain equipped to deliver world-class eye care to those who need it. This is an addition to the annual grants worth millions that Guinness Nigeria has also consistently provided since 1995 to support these facilities, including equipment upgrades and other essential needs. Through this ongoing commitment, the company is not only restoring sight but also restoring opportunity and enabling individuals to return to school, rejoin the workforce, and live full, independent lives. The impact extends far beyond hospital walls, uplifting families and strengthening entire communities.

Guinness Eye Centres

For Guinness Nigeria, this is far more than philanthropy. It reflects a deeply held belief that business can and should be a force for good that sees clearly, serves compassionately, and helps communities to thrive.

As Guinness Nigeria looks to the future, its ambition remains clear: to support Nigeria in becoming a centre of excellence for eye care in Africa. With every sight restored, the company affirms a powerful truth, its greatest legacy lies not in what it brews, but in the hope it helps others see.

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