Six years on: Dangote still “most admired brand” in Africa

For the sixth consecutive year, the Dangote brand has been adjudged the most admired African brand among the top 100 brands on the continent.

Dangote, as the most admired African when respondents are prompted to recall an African brand specifically, was followed by the telecommunication outfit MTN in the second position and Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) coming in third, both of South African origin.

The Pan-African conglomerate brand was also adjudged to be the number one African Pride brand, followed by Ethiopian Airlines and MTN, respectively.

In a newly introduced category, the Dangote brand came second in sustainability among brands doing good for people, society, and the environment.

These were announced in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the occasion of Africa Day, marking the 13th Annual Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands. 2023 rankings of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa based on a survey and rankings 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.

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Brand Africa, in its statement announcing the ranking, disclosed that in a new category of brands that are doing good for people, society, and the environment, inspired by business shifting from profit to purpose, MTN and Dangote as African brands 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, made it to the number one position as 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 (6) and Nigerian (6) brands, which account for 48 percent of the rankings, with the USA (4), led by VISA, at 16 percent, making up 64 percent 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 the 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.

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.

Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa, expressed concern that despite optimism with the progress of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other initiatives to drive African initiatives, African brands still regressed 20 percent from a 10-year high of 17 percent to a 14 percent share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa.

“It is concerning that despite the momentum in operationalizing the AfCFTA and rising internal pride in the continent, albeit against global economic challenges, African consumers have reverted to their trusted, mostly non-African brands rather than giving African brands a chance,” he stated. “Nonetheless, this is the state of brands in Africa, and there is an urgent need to build trust in Made in Africa brands.”

Bernard Okasi, the Director of Research at GeoPoll, which has been the lead data collection partner since 2015, while speaking on the outcome of the survey, explained “With an ever-increasing number of countries, a 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”.

Karin Du Chenne, the Chief Growth Officer Africa Middle East for Kantar, who has been the insight lead for Brand Africa since inception in 2010, says, “Despite the increased countries and sample sizes that 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 Africa’s Best Brands research to determine the most admired top-of-mind brands in Africa is not funded by any brand.

Reacting to the last survey affirming Dangote as the 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 industrialization, 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 and Petrochemical Complex, which is a huge industrial complex or frigate. “The brand portends the inevitability of Nigerian global ascendancy and a gateway to regional and continental development”, he added.

Brand Africa, established in 2010, 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.