The launch of the 2025 Brand Africa 100 Awards marks a significant milestone in Africa’s journey to reshape its global image, elevating its economic power and cultural vibrancy on the world stage.
Held at the historic Africa Hall, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today, the event brought together leaders and stakeholders to advance the next chapter of Africa’s story.
The keynote speaker at the launch was Mr. Claver Gatete, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), who noted that this is another opportunity to show the world what we have and what we can do.
Thebe Ikalafeng, Chairman and Founder of Brand Africa, was the chief host of the launch that was attended by representatives of the African Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat and Partner Institutions, plus various business leaders, innovators and young entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the event, Gatete said, “Africa is a continent of immense promise and potential, with a young population, a rising middle class, and a growing consumer market projected to surpass USD2.5 trillion by 2030.”
“From the creative pulse of Lagos to the tech corridors of Nairobi, Africa is building and branding, showcasing its brilliance and innovation to the world,” he added
Defining African Brands
Gatete noted that an authentic African brand must embody Africa’s stories, culture, and aspirations. “With over 100 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Africa has a wealth of cultural and historical assets that can be leveraged to boost economic potential and promote cultural tourism,” Gatete explained.
He emphasised that these heritage sites reflect Africa’s contribution to global civilisation and hold immense potential for economic growth.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite Africa’s immense potential, Gatete observed that few African brands enjoy global visibility.
To address this challenge, he pointed out that the ECA has outlined five strategic pathways to integrate Africa’s brand into its broader development agenda:
Innovation and Creativity
He revealed that the ECA resolved to invest in youth-driven innovation and creative industries through supporting young entrepreneurs who are merging tradition with technology to create innovative products and services. There’s also a need to create a public-private facility to identify, finance, and globalise Africa’s most promising brands across sectors.
Building regional value chains
To achieve this, Gatete stated that there is a need to develop regional value chains that support authentic African products and services, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to industrialise and integrate markets.
Mainstreaming the African brand
Gatete noted that this goal can be achieved by promoting African stories and brands to investors, tourists, and others, and engaging the diaspora as global brand ambassadors and investors.
Investing in data systems
He also observed that there is a need to develop robust data systems to track consumer sentiment, market perception, and brand competitiveness in Africa and globally.
Most Admired African Brands
In his remarks, Thebe Ikalafeng, the Founder and Chairman, Brand Africa, noted that only 20% of the brands Africans admire are made in Africa, which shows an 80% rate of rejection of African brands by Africans.
“Do you know that Nestle is the most admired brand in Africa, with Dangote Group coming a close second? Dangote is knocking and hopefully will take over as their portfolio grows,” Thebe said.
Speaking about how results for the best brands in Africa are reached at, Thebe, explained that, “Brand Africa conducts a comprehensive survey that reaches 31 countries, covering over 85% of Africa’s GDP. Participants are African consumers aged 18 and over, speaking a variety of eight languages, from Arabic to Swahili.”
He revealed that using data-driven rankings, the brands that truly resonate with Africans are identified and awarded.
Thebe explained that the recent survey indicates that some of the most admired brands in Africa currently include: Nike, Adidas, Apple, Toyota, PUMA, MTN, Coca-Cola, ZARA and Samsung.
Brand Africa Awards Uganda Edition
It is important to note that although it was launched in Ethiopia, Brand Africa 100 Awards is a continental event that is held in different countries across Africa.
Having launched the grand awards ceremony in Ethiopia, everyone should look out for the Ugandan edition of the Brand Africa 100 Awards, which is set to be held in Kampala on July 2nd, 2025.
Watch the space!