At the official launch at the Nairobi Stock Exchange, Brand Africa announced the 2014 Brand Africa 100, a ranking of the most admired and most valuable brands in sub-Saharan Africa. In a list dominated by electronics (17%), beverages (14%), auto manufacturers (14%), apparel (12%) and telecommunications (10%), pan-African telecommunications giant, MTN, topped the African list as the most valuable and most admired African brand. Valued at over $5.4bn MTN is the only African brand valued over a billion dollars.
Apple, at $105bn replaced Samsung as the most valuable non-African brand, while Coca Cola retained its position as the most admired non-African brand in Africa. Coca-Cola toppled Nokia as the overall most admired brand in Africa, while MTN moved up a spot in the admiration ranks among Africans.
South Africa, with 11 of the 23 African brands, remains the most dominant branding nation, accounting for 91% of the value of the brands. Kenya at 5% and Nigeria at 3% round off the top three which make up 99% of the value of African brands.
The most admired regional brands are MTN (Southern Africa), Glo (West Africa), Tusker (East Africa) and Marsavco (Central Africa). The most valuable regional brands are MTN (Southern Africa), Dangote (West Africa), Safaricom (East Africa) and Marsavco (Central Africa).
“While non-African brands understandably dominate African brands in value because of their sheer volumes, historical admiration and investment, that African brands remain competitive among the most admired brands bodes well for the future of African brands,” says Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa and chairman of Brand Finance Africa.
“As African economies grow and Africans become wealthier and grow their brand building capacity, the demand for indigenous brands or non-African brands that are built on African insights will prosper. It’s an appetising opportunity for Made in Africa brands.”
Established in 2011, Brand Africa 100 measures and ranks the brands that consumers admire and their corresponding value. The 2014 Brand Africa 100 is based on a survey among a representative sample of eight countries, covering the major sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regions to establish the base top 100 most admired brands. T
The 2014 Brand Africa 100 – Africa’s Best Brands full results and detailed analysis will be available in the December issue of African Business, which will be on sale globally from the 24th November.