A report presented at an African PR week conference found that 80 per cent of Africans say they support Africa but do not buy African brands, pointing to a major challenge for companies seeking to build globally competitive home-grown brands. The report targets a 50 per cent growth in African brands uptake, arguing that stronger consumer support is critical to growing the value and influence of African businesses.
The forum brought together representatives from Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Namibia, where delegates convened under the theme "Redefining Africa: Africa as a brand. “How do we make sure we use numbers to go from 15 per cent to 50 per cent?
Make sure that we buy African brands and we actually convert consumers,” said Jimmy Ranamane, General Manager for Global Markets at Brand South Africa She said communication professionals and businesses have a role in positioning African brands in ways that encourage consumers to choose them, noting that stronger brands ultimately translate into higher revenues.
“We are the ones who tell the stories of our brands. We are the ones who are responsible for positioning these brands for people to consume these brands, and for the brands to increase in their revenue,” she said. The report also identified the relatively weak global presence of African brands as a concern.
Africa currently accounts for 15 per cent of the top 100 most admired brands globally, according to the presentation, with a target of raising this share to 25 per cent by 2030.