Rwanda beer brand Skol says sorry for sexist jokes Published duration 20 August 2019

image copyright _ image caption The joke 'When can a woman make you a millionaire? When you are a billionaire', caused outrage

A beer company in Rwanda has apologised after critics said jokes that appeared on their bottles were sexist.

One of the jokes on a bottle of Skol asked, "when can a woman make you a millionaire" with the answer "when you are a billionaire".

Skol launched the beer labels with the jokes printed on them on Friday but on Monday promised to stop using them.

Rwanda is ranked fifth in the world for gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum's 2016 report.

Another joke, in French, said " how does a beauty queen try and kill a fish? By putting its head in water."

Emilienne Benurugo, the brand manager for Skol Lager was quoted in Rwandan Newspaper New Times as saying at the launch of the labels that the company aimed to help customers to not take life too seriously.

But a backlash at the jokes ensued on Twitter.

Among those to react was Gender Minister Soline Nyirahabimana, who shared a picture on twitter saying the jokes were "demeaning to women" and said that it was "not acceptable" in Rwanda and "should be punished by law".

Skol, which is brewed in Rwanda by Belgian company Unibra, apologised on Twitter on Monday: