Brand Africa releases the 2015 Brand Africa 100: Africa's Best Brands

Established brands hold ground in Africa. United States of America leads country of origin table. Nigeria leads Africa.

Dangote is Brand Builder of the Year. Econet's Strive Masiyiwa recognised with Lifetime Achievement. Yswara, Konga and Kisua recognized as Emerging African Brands.

Brand Africa has announced that MTN is the overall best brand in Africa and reclaimed the #1 spot as the Most Admired Brand in Africa at a gala launch of the 4th Annual Brand Africa 100: Africa's Best Brands at Sandton Convention Centre. For the second year in a row, MTN emerged as the Most Admired and the Most Valuable African brand valued at $4,672mn. Apple, at $128,303mn is the Most Valuable Brand in Africa. Samsung is the #1 Most Admired Non-African Brand.

The Brand Africa 100 shows that established brands in Africa have held their ground. Non-African brands are a dominant 77% of the Top 100 brands. While African brands have remained relatively stable at 24%, 25% and 23% in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively, the number of non-African countries of origin has steadily diversified from 17 in 2013 to 19 in 2014 to 21 in 2015. Nigeria has over taken South Africa as the leading African nation. The Top 10 countries with the most number of brands on the Top 100 Most Admired Brands are the United States (21%), Nigeria (11%), UK (9%), Japan at 8%, France (6%), Netherlands (5%), Germany (4%), Italy (4%), South Africa (4%) and Kenya (4%). African brands remain a negligible 1% share of the value of the Top 100 Most Valuable Brands.

Two thirds (64%) of the Brand Africa 100 list is evenly spread between electronics (16%), apparel (14%), auto manufacturers (13%), telecommunications (11%) and alcoholic beverages (10%).

Over the past three years, 48 brands were common in the tables between 2013 and 2015, 57 between 2013 and 2014 and growing to 66 between 2014 and 2015 - among the Brand Africa 100 Most Admired Brands.

Because of their transformational importance in Africa, Brand Africa also ran a separate survey for the Most Admired Brands in Media and Financial. In the financial services category, Nigeria's First Bank leads the Africa and Barclays the non-African list. In the media category, DStv leads Africa and BBC the non-African list.

Twelve brands - predominatly non-African - are admired across almost all the 22 sample nations in the survey: Samsung (22/22 countries sampled), Coca-Cola, LG and Nokia (21/22), Apple, Toyota and Nike (20/22), Sony and Adidas (19/22) and Mercedes Benz and Puma (18/22). MTN is the most pan-African brand among the Top 100 Most Admired Brands in Africa, operating in 17 and among the Top 10 admired in 7 African countries.

( ) Represents numerical change in rank between 2014 and 2015.

( ) Represents percentage change in brand value between 2014 and 2015.

The most admired regional brands are Coca-cola (East Africa), Adidas (West Africa), Nike (North Africa), Samsung (Central Africa), Nike (Southern Africa).

"These rankings are increasingly significant as they are an important metric of the progress Africa is making in creating brands and services that respond to African conditions, needs and ambitions," says Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Chairman of Brand Finance Africa. "Simultaneously, they are a reflection and celebration of both non-African and African brands that meet the African consumer standard."

"But the time has never been more opportune or urgent for Africa to develop Made in Africa brands. The success of businesses behind these brands will enable Africa to drive its own agenda because they create jobs, contribute tax revenue necessary to fund public goods and help shape the image of Africa as an entrepreneurial and competitive continent."

Brand Africa 100 was developed by pan-African branding and reputation advisory firm, Brand Leadership Group in partnership with Geopoll, the leading mobile survey platform with a database of nearly 200m users in emerging markets, TNS, the globally respected consumer knowledge and information company and Brand Finance, the world's leading independent valuation consultancy.

It is a two-phase process that starts with comprehensive consumer research across Africa to establish the list of the 100 admired Brands and concludes with financial valuation to determine the 100 most valuable brands in Africa.

Geopoll used their sophisticated mobile SMS technology to identify the most admired local and non-local brands in Africa among a representative sample of African countries' consumers in 22 Africans countries which collectively account for 77% of Africa's GDP and 77% of Africa's population, covering the five political regions and all eight regional economic zones. TNS analysed the data to create a weighted consumer admiration score that reduced the 9,545 unique brands mentions to the Top 100 Most Admired Brands in Africa. Brand Finance used the royalty relief methodology which is compliant with International Valuation Standards Authority as a basis for determining the fair market value of brands to establish the Top 100 Most Valuable Brands.

"Given the deep mobile penetration in Africa, the mobile methodology is the most cost-effective and expedient way to reach a wider sample and higher penetration across Africa," says Cathy Vonderhaar, Vice President - Geopoll.

"With such diverse populations between countries and regions, the weighted index ensured the results are representative of the population within each country and Africa overall to reflect a unique ranking of the Top 100 Most Admired Brands in Africa," added Karin Du Chenne, Regional Development Director - TNS Africa Mediterranean Middle East (AMME).

"It is time brands in Africa are recognised for the value they create for the African continent, embracing and leveraging African values," concluded Oliver Schmitz, Managing Director - Brand Finance Africa.

Brand Africa closed the awards with a Grand Prix to MTN as Africa's Best Brand, a Lifetime Achievement award to Econet Wireless Founder and Chairman, Strive Masiyiwa, in recognition of leadership excellence, inspiration and service to Africa, Brand Builder of the Year to Dangote in recognition of leadership and excellence in building successful brands in Africa, and Emerging African Brand awards to Kisua (Ghana/South Africa), Yswara (Ivory Coast/South Africa) and Konga (Nigeria) in recognition of extraordinary entrepreneurship and excellence in building rising African brands.

The Brand Africa 100® results are published in an African Business Brand Africa supplement in African Business magazine on sale globally in November 2015, online by Mail&Guardian Africa post the awards, and broadcast on CNBC Africa in an awards highlights special.

The Gala was hosted by Brand South Africa and supported by Brand Finance, TNS, Geopoll, Brand Leadership Group, African Business, CNBC Africa, M&G Africa, African Media Agency, SA Mint, Blue Media, Project Fable and Fresh RSVP.

Simphiwe Dana, a multi-platinum-selling award-winning South African Afro-jazz-soul singer and songwriter, and Congolese-born Tresor, a multi-platinum-selling DRC-born singer-songwriter, entertained the guests, who feasted on the pan-African culinary delights of award-winning and international culinary star and Foodnetwork host, Siba Mtongana.