By John Ikani
A new report by Brand Africa, a brand performance tracker, reveals a paradox in African consumer sentiment.
While a strong majority (64%) express confidence in Africa’s future, they tend to favour brands from outside the continent.
The “Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands” report highlights this disconnect. Interestingly, African nations dominate the list of most admired countries, with South Africa, Nigeria, the United States, China, and Kenya taking the top five spots.
These countries are seen as key players in shaping a better Africa.
The report further reveals a regional trend, with Southern and West Africa accounting for nearly half (44%) of the top 50 admired nations.
This dominance extends to the brand landscape, where established African players like MTN (South Africa), Dangote (Nigeria), Trade Kings (Zambia), Glo (Nigeria), DStv (South Africa) and Ethiopian Airlines retain their top positions.
However, despite African optimism, African brands only capture a meagre 14% share of the most admired brands ranking.
This share comes primarily from six countries – South Africa and Nigeria leading the pack with five entries each, followed by Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania with one entry apiece.
In contrast, established non-African brands maintain a stronghold. Europe retains 37% share, while North America dips slightly to 28%. Asia, however, is on the rise, capturing 21% of the African market, a significant increase of 23.5%.
Unsurprisingly, global giants like Nike, Adidas, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and Apple remain the top five most admired brands in Africa for the fifth consecutive year.
Interestingly, the report highlights a fascinating trend – many non-African brands, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Samsung, Lacoste, Total, and Guinness, are mistakenly identified as African when consumers are asked about their favourite African brands.
The report also explores the popularity of non-profit organizations. UNICEF and the UN are the most admired NGOs, while Coca-Cola takes the crown as the most admired non-African organization. Notably, MTN retains its position as the number one African brand.
Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa, acknowledges the low share of African brands but remains optimistic.
He points to growing African confidence and the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to create a more enabling environment for African entrepreneurs.
Ikalafeng believes that as these factors come into play, the share of African brands will inevitably rise.
Brand Africa conducts extensive annual research across over 30 African markets, covering 85% of the continent’s GDP and population.
Their partners include Kantar, Geopoll, Integrate Research, and Analysis. The findings are published in the June edition of African Business magazine.
In the coming weeks, Brand Africa plans to release further details with country-specific breakdowns.
