MTN dubbed Most Valuable, Most Admired African Brand

Established in 2011, Brand Africa 100 measures and ranks the brands that consumers admire and their corresponding value. It was developed by Brand Africa in partnership with independent valuation consultancy, Brand Finance plc and consumer knowledge and information company, TNS, supported by Geopoll, a mobile survey platform with a database of nearly 200 million users in emerging markets, to create a unique index and ranking that recognises the most admired and valuable brands in Africa. At over $5.4bn, MTN is the only African brand valued over a billion dollars.

Dominant brands with a dominant influence

The 2014 Brand Africa 100 is based on a survey among a representative sample of eight countries, covering the major sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regions to establish the base top 100 most admired brands. These countries, Ghana and Nigeria (West Africa; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (East Africa); DRC (Central Africa) and Mozambique and South Africa (Southern Africa). Collectively, these countries represent 51% (477 million) of SSA population and 67% ($1,065 trillion) of Africa's GDP. Their countries' brands are also often the dominant brands with a dominant influence and consumer base within their regions.

In the overall rankings, Coca-Cola toppled Nokia as the most admired brand in Africa, while MTN moved up a spot in the admiration ranks among Africans.

"While it is nice to again be acknowledged as Africa's most valuable brand, it is even nicer to be ranked the most admired African brand. It means that MTN doesn't just have a spot in our customers' pocket book, but in their hearts and minds as well," says Jennifer Forrester, Executive for Marketing, MTN Group.