Vuma grows reputation management business in Africa
Vuma is a leading South African reputation and crisis management company which celebrates its 12th anniversary this year; and has operated in 10 African countries providing support to multi-national companies. The company specialises in reputation management, stakeholder relationship management, media relations management, crisis communication, and public relations.
It has signed MOUs with the following agencies on the continent:
• BSD Group, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Zeleman, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Prosper Agbenyega, based in Accra, Ghana.
• Design Innovation, based at Lusaka, Zambia.
“With economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa projected by the World Bank to rebound over the next three years, following a lull last year, we want to be part of this growth story and contribute to the advancement of our beautiful continent,” said Janine Hills, CEO and founder of Vuma Reputation Management, and Brand South Africa board member.
Hills said the MOUs with its African partners will give the company strong presence in three African regions - namely East, West, and Southern Africa - where African companies and multinationals can tap into the continent’s growth opportunities by leveraging strategic reputation management, communications, and public relations capabilities.
Tshepo Sefotlhelo, chief operations officer for Vuma Reputation Management, has been instrumental in securing affiliate partnerships with these four leading agencies. “We firmly believe that the journey we have embarked on with our African partners will accelerate our shared and mutual growth, whereby we will provide world class services to our clients doing business in Africa and those businesses that are looking for investment opportunities on the continent. We are Africans working for Africa,” said Sefotlhelo.
Africa’s expanding economy
According to the World Bank, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to recover moderately in 2017 to 2.6% after slowing in 2016 to 1.5%. The continent’s economic prospects are expected to improve further in 2018 and 2019, with Africa’s economy projected to expand at 3.2% and 3.5% respectively on the back of improvement in commodity prices and a recovery in the global economy.
As part of its expansion strategy, Vuma Reputation Management has established the Africa Division, which is led by Nonye Mpho Omotola, business director, Africa, who is a communications specialist with more than 15 years in strategic brand experience gained in the UK, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Omotola said the four communications agencies are a perfect fit for Vuma Reputation Management as they bring to the table their deep local knowledge of the markets they operate in, while Vuma Reputation Management brings a full range of reputation management and communications services that will benefit its African partners and their clients alike.
“Vuma Reputation Management has more than a decade of experience in reinforcing our clients’ positions in their respective markets, and in creating proactive strategies to build and manage their reputations. We now want to grow our market leadership across Africa, where we have identified market gaps and opportunities to offer services,” said Omotola.
Vuma Reputation Management will work closely with its partners to improve reputation management and communication standards on the African continent. Through the Vuma Training Academy, Vuma Reputation Management will transfer skills and knowledge to help develop a pool of African communication professionals and reputation managers to ensure that companies operating on the continent receive an excellent service.
