Business

Despite Optimism for Africa Reaching 68%, Ethiopian brands only account for 13% among the Most Admired Brands in Ethiopia

• Ethiopian Airlines is the #1 most admired aviation brand in Africa, and the #1 most admired Ethiopian brand
• Ethiopian Airlines, along with Dangote, MTN, M-Pesa, and Brand South Africa are inducted into the inaugural Brand Africa Hall of Fame for consistently ranking among Africa’s most admired brands over the past 5–15 years and building sustainable, world-class brands
• Ethiopian Airlines is the #1 most admired Ethiopian brand for contributing to a better Africa.
• Only 32% of Ethiopians believe Africa contributes to a better Africa; and rank rank China as the #1 most admired country in Ethiopia, ahead of Ethiopia (#2), Russia (#3), USA (#4) and UAE (#5)
• EBS is #1 most admired Ethiopian media brand 
• Mekedonia (Non-Profit), Ethio Telecom (Ethiopian) and Coca Cola (Non-African) are the #1 most admired brands for Doing Good For Society.  
• Only 6% of Top 100 most admired brands in Ethiopia are Ethiopian
• Nike retains its #1 spot as the most admired brand overall in Africa for the 8th consecutive year
• Nike is the most admired brand overall in Ethiopia, and the #1 brand across Gen Z, Gen X and Millennials– with Adidas the #1 among Baby Boomers

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 30 May 2025 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/ – Brand Africa, in partnership with African Business and the Economic Commission for Africa, today unveiled the results of the 15th annual Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands and Ethiopia’s Best Brands rankings. The announcement was made at the historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—the birthplace of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU).

Ethiopia Airlines, Ethio Telecoms, EBS and Mekedonia are leading brands in Ethiopia, with Ethiopian Airlines flying the flag as the #1 overall Ethiopian brand.

The 2025 rankings reveal a pessimistic view of African and Ethiopian brands, with only 6% of the Top 100 brands admired Ethiopian, and 32% of Ethiopians believing African countries contribute to a better Africa. On the country, 68% of Africans express belief in Africa, up from 64% in 2024, but only 11% of the Top 100 most admired brands are African. There were only 42% of the brands of G20 countries of origin and 50% brands of BRICS+ countries of origin among the most admired brands in Ethiopia. The low conversion rates underscore the urgent challenge for homegrown brands to convert belief into consumer commitment, and Africans to support Made in Africa brands.

“It is disappointing to see the low preference for local and African brands,” says Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa. “Unfortunately, it mirrors the ranking of non-African nations as the most influential in Africa. What’s clear is that it’s a wake-up call for Africa—and a barometer of the continent’s lagging industrialisation agenda. It’s not enough for Africans to say they believe in the continent—they must buy made-in-Africa. For that to happen, African brands must invest in R&D, continue to innovate, deliver quality, and use authenticity as a differentiator.”

In his keynote, Mr. Claver Gatete, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, who hosted the launch, praised the Hall of Fame inductees and Brand Africa laureates for advancing the African agenda. He endorsed Brand Africa, stating it aligns with the ECA’s mission to promote inclusive industrialisation, regional integration, and private sector-led growth. He called for investment in youth-driven innovation, regional value chains, and the creation of a Pan-African creative innovation fund to identify, finance, and globalise Africa’s most promising brands.

Following the global launch, Brand Africa will embark on a multi-country roadshow to share insights and rankings across all regions of the continent in supporting its mission to drive a brand-led African agenda.

The study was independently conducted by the world’s most respected global research firms with deep coverage and experience across Africa – GeoPoll and Kantar, and supported by regional research partners. The overall 2025 study spans a baseline study across 31 African countries, including South Africa, which represents over 85% of Africa’s population and GDP, and conducted in the eight major languages that are official or widely spoken in the five major economic regions of Africa, including Ahmaric to Swahili. Due to the high penetration, convenience and effectiveness, data in South Africa was conducted through mobile, which has been the primary approach for the rest of the continent since 2015.

Consumers aged 18 and older are asked to spontaneously identify their most admired brands across several categories: brands that are doing good for society and the environment, brands contributing to a better Africa, African and non-African brands, and the most admired nations, regardless of the brand’s origin. To understand insights of categories with low unaided recall but significant societal influence, in 2017 Brand Africa introduced prompted (aided) questions for media and financial services brands.

What distinguishes the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands study is that since its inception in 2011 (1) it is grown to be the most comprehensive barometer of consumer brand preferences spanning 31 African countries which collectively account for more than 85% of the continent’s population and GDP; (2) it is research-based rankings; (3) conducted by independent and globally respected research partners, including Geopoll and Kantar, as the lead, supported by Integrate (Morocco), Gopinion (Algeria), Analysis (Mauritius) and Oxygen (Namibia), and (5) is brand-neutral because the study is unsponsored ensuring there is no commercial influence.

The 2025 Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands are covered widely and will once again be the cover feature of the June edition of African Business magazine, Africa’s foremost business publication since 1966.

Finally, Brand Africa announced today that the Africa Hall will now be the venue for all Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands global announcements.

For Information on the Brand Africa agenda, initiatives and partners and specifically the Brand Africa 100:

• Africa’s Best Brands Rankings visit www.brand.africa and follow the results on #BrandAfrica100 and #AfricasBestBrands. 
• For more information on the Global event and results, email info@brand.africa

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Brand Africa

Brand Africa
Recognising that brands drive the growth, reputation and competitiveness of nations, Brand Africa (www.brand.africa) established in 2010, is a non-profit brand-led movement to inspire a brand-led African renaissance. The Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands, has been the flagship initiative of Brand Africa since 2011. The rankings, announced annually on or around Africa Day, 25 May every year since 2011, are the most authoritative study on brands in Africa, covering 30 countries that account for over 85% of the population and over 85% of the GDP of Africa. The survey is conducted by the world’s leading mobile based research firm, Geopoll, with insights provided by the world’s largest information research firm, Kantar working with in close collaboration with Africa’s premier branding, strategic communications and intellectual property advisory firm, Brand Leadership. For more information on Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands visit  https://www.brand.africa/Home/FAQs.

Media contact:
For media accreditation, inquiries, and to facilitate interviews, please contact:

Global
Eloine Barry
Africa Media Agency
Email: eloine.barry@amediaagency.com
WhatsApp/Tel: +225 074 901 2888 or +1 (917) 244 9894

General
Lebogang Serapelwane, Brand Leadership PR
Email: lebogang@brandleadership.com
WhatsApp/Tel: +27 (0) 73 063 4607

The post 2025 Brand Africa 100 | Ethiopia’s Best Brands appeared first on African Media Agency.

Source : African Media Agency (AMA)

Business

Confrontée à une procédure malienne visant à placer la mine de Loulo-Gounkoto sous administration provisoire, la société canadienne Barrick Gold sollicite l’arbitrage international.

Nouveau rebondissement dans le bras de fer opposant l’État malien à Barrick Gold. Le groupe minier canadien a officiellement saisi le Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements (CIRDI), une instance de la Banque mondiale spécialisée dans l’arbitrage entre investisseurs et États. L’objectif : empêcher la mise sous tutelle de la mine de Loulo-Gounkoto, un actif stratégique dans le portefeuille de Barrick au Mali.

Cette procédure d’arbitrage intervient alors qu’un tribunal malien doit statuer le 2 juin sur la demande du gouvernement visant à placer le site minier sous une administration provisoire. Si cette décision est confirmée, un tiers désigné pourrait prendre le contrôle de la mine et relancer son activité, suspendue depuis janvier dernier.

À l’origine de cette crise, une saisie par les autorités de trois tonnes d’or extraites de la mine, justifiée par le non-paiement présumé de taxes. Barrick conteste ces accusations, dénonçant un non-respect des accords contractuels signés dans le cadre de son implantation au Mali il y a plus de vingt ans.

Le contexte réglementaire s’est tendu depuis l’entrée en vigueur du nouveau code minier malien, qui renforce la part de l’État dans les projets extractifs. Bamako entend accroître ses recettes fiscales et affirme que les conditions actuelles sont défavorables à l’intérêt national. Plusieurs groupes miniers présents dans le pays ont accepté les nouvelles dispositions. Barrick, en revanche, maintient sa position et entend faire valoir ses droits par les voies juridiques internationales.

Business

Le groupe sportif ivoirien, qui inclut l’Association ASEC Mimosas et plusieurs entités commerciales, clôt l’exercice 2024 avec un bénéfice net consolidé de 1,160 milliard FCFA. Une performance stable malgré une légère baisse par rapport à 2023.

Le club de football le plus titré de Côte d’Ivoire a publié ses résultats financiers consolidés pour l’année 2024, sur les réseaux sociaux, confirmant une gestion rigoureuse de ses différents pôles d’activité.

Le résultat net du groupe atteint 1,160 milliard FCFA, en léger recul par rapport à l’exercice précédent (1,173 milliard FCFA). Un fléchissement modéré, dû à une saison sportive jugée moins favorable, mais qui n’entame pas la solidité du modèle.

L’essentiel des performances repose sur l’Association ASEC Mimosas, qui enregistre à elle seule 1,226 milliard FCFA de bénéfice net, contre 1,264 milliard un an plus tôt. L’activité reste largement portée par les revenus liés aux transferts de joueurs — un poste qui génère à lui seul plus de 2,1 milliards FCFA de chiffre d’affaires, soit 61 % des produits du groupe.

Les autres entités — SCI Sol Béni, ASEC Communication, Académie, CNACO — affichent une perte consolidée de 66 millions FCFA, nettement réduite par rapport à 2023 (91 millions FCFA). Cette amélioration illustre les efforts déployés pour professionnaliser les fonctions support du club, de la gestion des infrastructures à la communication média.

Avec un chiffre d’affaires total de 3,849 milliards FCFA, en hausse modérée sur un an, le groupe conserve une marge nette solide autour de 30 %, ce qui constitue une exception dans le secteur sportif régional. Cette performance s’inscrit dans une stratégie d’intégration verticale, où le club agit à la fois comme formateur, exportateur de talents, gestionnaire d’infrastructures et opérateur commercial.