https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Building African brands a feature of African Utility Week

17th May 2017

By: Kim Cloete

Creamer Media Correspondent

     

Font size: - +

Africans need to be proud of their brands and local companies and do everything they can to boost the image and reputation of these brands, says Brand Leadership Group founder and chairperson Thebe Ikalafeng.

“The top brands that Africans admire are all foreign. How are we going to transform the continent if we continually boost the brands of other countries?” Ikalafeng asked a packed plenary hall, at African Utility Week, in Cape Town.

He said Safaricom, from Kenya; Nandos, from South Africa; the Nation Media Group, from Kenya; MTN, from South Africa, and Econet, in Zimbabwe, had been identified by Forbes as among the top ten most innovative companies in Africa.

But African companies needed to build further on their successes. He gave an example of Starbucks and coffee.

“Branding is everything. An unbranded cup of coffee typically costs $1.25, while an average cup of Starbucks coffee goes for $3.25. Starbucks goes to Ethiopia, buys coffee for $0.20, goes to America, slaps on the logo and brings it back to Africa for $3.25 a cup – and you should see Africans lining up for it.”

Ikalafeng said African utilities had a tremendous opportunity to build their brands and communicate more effectively with their customers.

“Utilities are the life-blood of the economy. Branding is an important vehicle for us to build our continent.”

He also warned against complacency and poor service. 

“We are unlucky in this continent that most of our utilities are run by government. Citizens have mostly given up their job to hold governments to account [though]. But Africans are no longer going to accept mediocrity.”

He called on utilities to up their game.

“Africa is the future. Let’s be patriotic. Our job is to love our country and our continent.  Let’s align with our values and deliver on our promises.”

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Showroom

Magni SA
Magni SA

Magni SA is committed to developing the safest Telehandlers available to our customers for underground and surface mining, construction, forestry,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.077 0.13s - 157pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now