Kenya’s Tusker beer is Africa’s fastest-growing brand, study finds

“African brands have benefited significantly from adapting to uncertain business conditions caused by Covid-19 by leveraging technological disruption to tackle supply chain issues and national lockdowns,” the Brand Finance report says.

“Brands from diverse sectors including banking, telecommunications and food & beverage found innovative ways to connect with the customers online. This digital transformation helped the top brands in Africa achieve a 28% increase in aggregate brand value to US$50.1-billion. Building strong brands across Africa fuels growth in the economy which is creating more dynamic jobs in the long-term.”

SA at number one and Nigeria at number two

South African brands (value up by 30% to US$36.9-billion) are leading the African continent, followed by Nigerian brands (value up by 35% to US$3.2-billion), Egyptian brands (value up by 42% to US$3.1-billion), Moroccan brands (value up by 14% to US$2.6-billion) and Kenyan brands (value up by 69% to US$2.1-billion).

Kenyan beer brand Tusker achieved an impressive 132% brand value growth this year, more than doubling to US$50-million in brand value. 

This brand value growth was noteworthy as it was achieved amidst uncertain business conditions, including a global supply chain crisis and the closure of restaurants and bars due to pandemic induced restrictions. 

“The brand overcame this challenge by employing social media marketing and influencer marketing as its primary method of promotion throughout the lockdown. By partnering with athletes and social media influencers, Tusker created engaging online content to increase demand, sales and brand recall,” the researchers noted.

While MTN is the most valuable brand on the continent, SA-based Capitec Bank is the strongest brand in Africa with AAA+ brand rating.

“The bank is forming strategic partnerships to keep up with market and sector-wide trends in online banking and digital transformation, Brand Finance said.

“Most recently, Capitec Bank partnered with IT consulting firm Entersekt to leverage behavioural analytics and to enable a higher number of online transactions using e-commerce platforms. The bank also works alongside US-based software brand nCino to provide more efficient and more effective banking services to consumers with the help of cloud banking and digital automation.”