Dangote Industries Limited, the Nigeria-based conglomerate founded by industrialist Aliko Dangote, has been named the “Most Admired African Brand” at the 15th annual Brand Africa 100 awards held at Africa Hall in Addis Ababa over the weekend.
The accolade, determined by a consumer-led survey spanning over 30 African countries, underscores the company’s dominance in brand leadership across the continent.
In a historic milestone, Dangote Industries was inducted into the inaugural Brand Africa Hall of Fame, becoming the first African-owned company to receive this prestigious recognition. The company also secured a Lifetime Achievement Award for Aliko Dangote’s transformative contributions to African industrialization and economic development.
The awards ceremony celebrated other prominent African brands, with telecommunications leader MTN, mobile payment platform M-Pesa, Ethiopian Airlines, and the Republic of South Africa also joining the Hall of Fame for their sustained consumer admiration and brand visibility over the past decade.
Anthony Chiejina, Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Group, stated, “We view this recognition as validation of the work being done not only at Dangote Industries, but also by African entrepreneurs committed to building globally competitive enterprises.”
The 2025 Brand Africa 100 rankings, released during the awards ceremony, showed mixed results for African brand loyalty.
Optimism about Africa’s future rose to 68% from 64% in 2024, but African brands in the Top 100 dropped to a historic low of 11%, down from 14% last year.
Brand Africa Founder and Chairman Thebe Ikalafeng called the trend concerning. “This year’s rankings reflect a disconnect between African optimism and actual support for African brands,” Mr. Ikalafeng said. “It suggests that belief in the continent has yet to translate into consistent consumer loyalty.”
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Claver Gatete, highlighted the importance of strategic investment in youth-driven innovation, regional value chains, and locally grown businesses.
He called for the creation of a Pan-African Creative Innovation Fund to support the growth and global competitiveness of African brands.
Although Dangote’s triple recognition stood out as a key moment of the ceremony, the broader discussion on Africa’s industrial capacity, brand building, and economic independence served as a clear reminder of the continent’s ongoing challenges and the effort required to translate ambition into market success.
