By Jide Ajia
Dangote Industries Limited has reinforced its position as one of Africa’s most influential corporate brands after emerging as Africa’s Most Admired Brand for the eighth consecutive year in the latest Brand Africa 100 rankings.
The recognition was announced at the 16th annual Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands event held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the conglomerate also retained its position as Africa’s Most Admired Industrial Brand and was ranked the leading African brand contributing to a better Africa.
According to Brand Africa, the rankings were based on a 2026 survey covering consumers across 30 African countries, representing more than 85 per cent of the continent’s population and economic output. The survey measures consumer perceptions, brand influence and market relevance across multiple sectors.
In the aided recall category, Dangote emerged as Africa’s most admired brand, ahead of MTN and Vodacom. The company also ranked second in spontaneous brand recall among African brands, trailing only MTN and placing ahead of Trade Kings.
Brand Africa attributed the strong performance to Dangote’s extensive footprint across strategic sectors of the African economy, including cement, fertiliser, petrochemicals, energy, sugar, salt, packaging and logistics.
The survey further ranked the company second among brands recognised for making a positive contribution to society, people and the environment.
Despite the improvement recorded by indigenous brands, Brand Africa noted that African-owned brands accounted for only 15 per cent of the continent’s 100 most admired brands in 2026, underscoring the continued dominance of global brands across African markets.
Speaking on the findings, Brand Africa founder and chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng, stressed the need for stronger support for African brands to drive economic development and industrial growth across the continent.
“With African brands accounting for only 15 per cent of the top 100, it is clear that we must deliberately support and celebrate local champions like Dangote who showcase African industrial capability on the global stage,” Ikalafeng stated.
The latest recognition adds to a growing list of accolades for Dangote Industries, which was previously inducted into the Brand Africa Hall of Fame for its sustained leadership in brand excellence.
The rankings also recognised Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries, as one of Africa’s 100 Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers. Chiejina was among 20 executives selected from West Africa and one of 17 Nigerians featured in the inaugural Africa CMO 100 list.
In addition, Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries, received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to industrialisation, manufacturing expansion and private-sector development across Africa.
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