BY BAMIDELE FAMOOFO
For the sixth consecutive year, the Dangote brand has been declared as the Most Admired African Brand among top 100 brands on the continent.
This was announced at Africa Day, marking the 13th Annual Brand Africa 100 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Africa’s Best Brands 2023 is the ranking of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa based on a survey conducted by Geopoll, Kantar and Brand Leadership, across 32 African countries that account for more than 85 percent of the continent’s GDP and population.
According to a statement by Brand Africa, Dangote is the Most Admired African Brand when respondents are prompted to recall an African brand specifically.
Dangote was followed by Telecommunications outfit, MTN and Digital Satellite Television (DSTV), Multichoice Group, who came second and third respectively. Both are South African companies.
“In a new category of brands that are doing good for people, society and environment, inspired by business shifting from profit to purpose, MTN and Dangote came first and second respectively, while Unicef emerged as the number one NGO and Coca-Cola emerged as the number one non-African brand.
“In the category specific ranking of the Top 25 financial services brands, Africa’s oldest banking group, Standard Bank surged to the number one position of the most admired brand in Africa, displacing GTBank, which had led the rankings for the past 3 years, but is reeling from recent UK regulatory issues, service challenges and a tough competitive environment.
“The category is dominated by South African and Nigeria, with brands each, which account for 48 percent of the rankings. The USA led by VISA has four brands, representing 16 percent, making up 64 per cent of the Top 25 brands.
“In another category specific ranking of the Top 25 media brands, DSTV, the consumer brand of the Multichoice Group, retains its dominant ranking ahead of BBC and CNN, as the most admired media brand in Africa.
Consistent with previous rankings, non-African media dominate the continent, accounting for 76 percent of the Top 25 brands,” the statement read.
Brand Africa disclosed that Dangote retained the number one spot for the sixth time despite African brands slipping to 14 percent of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa as non-African brands entrench their position on the continent.
The pan-African conglomerate brand was also adjudged as the number one African Pride brand followed by Ethiopian Airline and MTN respectively.
In a newly introduced category, Dangote brand came second in sustainability by brands doing good for the people, society and the environment.
Speaking, the founder and chairman of Brand Africa, Thebe Ikalafeng, expressed concern that despite optimism with the progress of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other initiative to drive African initiatives, African brands still regressed 20 percent from a 10-year high of 17 percent to 14 percent share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa.
“It is concerning that despite the momentum in operationalising the AfCFTA, rising internal pride in continent albeit against global economic challenges, that African consumers have reverted to their trusted, mostly non-African brands, rather than give African brands a chance,” he said
Also speaking on the outcome of the survey, the Director of Research, GeoPoll, Bernard Okasi, which has been the lead data collection partner since 2015, said: “With an ever increasing number of countries, greater sample size, and the growth of mobile across the continent, more than ever, using mobile continues to prove to be an effective tool to reach and access respondents across the continent.”
The Chief Growth Officer, Africa and Middle East for Kantar, Karin Du Chenne, who has been the insight lead for Brand Africa since inception in 2010, said despite the increased countries and sample sizes, which have invariably grown the volumes of brands analysed, the survey continues to yield a very consistent picture of the leading brands on the continent, albeit not yet to Africa’s advantage.
He added that as a non-profit initiative and to ensure the objectivity and independence of the rankings, the Brand Africa 100 Best Brands’ research to determine the most admired top-of-mind brands in Africa are not funded by any brand.
Reacting to the last survey affirming Dangote as number one most admired indigenous African brand, Group Chief, Branding and Communication, Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, said the awards were well deserved because the Dangote brand generates strong nationalistic impressions and powerful feelings across the continent in terms of industrialisation, self-sufficiency, prosperity, power and production.
He stated that this was further strengthened with the recent commissioning of the 650,000 bpd Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemical complex, which is a huge industrial complex.
“The brand portends the inevitability of Nigerian global ascendancy and a gateway to regional and continental development,” he said.
Established in 2010, Brand Africa is an intergenerational movement to inspire a brand-led African renaissance to drive Africa’s competitiveness, connect Africa and create a positive image of the continent.
