Dangote Group Crowned Most Admired African Brand
…Aliko Honored at Brand Africa Awards
By Patience Ikpeme
The Dangote Group and its founder, Aliko Dangote, achieved a significant milestone over the weekend, securing three prestigious awards at the 15th annual Brand Africa 100 awards ceremony. The event took place at the iconic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the historic birthplace of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union (AU).
Dangote Industries Limited was recognized as the Most Admired African Brand, a distinction earned through an independent, consumer-led survey conducted across more than 30 African countries. The company also made history by being inducted into the Brand Africa Hall of Fame, becoming the first African firm to receive this honor. This induction acknowledges Dangote’s profound impact on African consumers and its influential role in fostering a positive narrative for the continent.
Aliko Dangote, the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, was personally presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes his leadership in driving impactful industrialization, building a world-class African brand, and reshaping the continent’s economic future through a benchmark, homegrown enterprise.
Joining Dangote Industries in the inaugural Hall of Fame were other prominent African brands: MTN, M-Pesa, Ethiopian Airlines, and the nation of South Africa. These entities were recognized for consistently ranking among Africa’s most admired brands over the past 5 to 15 years and for successfully building sustainable, globally respected brands.
Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer for Dangote Industries Limited, conveyed that these honors reflect the unwavering commitment, excellence, and innovation that define the group’s journey. He added that the awards serve as a testament to the dedication of the company’s outstanding team, partners, and stakeholders, who continue to believe in the mission to drive sustainable development and economic growth across the continent.
“We also extend our heartfelt appreciation for the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to our Founder and President, Aliko Dangote, for building a purposeful world-class industrial brand that has exceptionally transformed African lives and the African narrative,” Chiejina stated. “This accolade celebrates not only his visionary leadership but also his tireless efforts in transforming industries, creating opportunities, and championing African enterprise on the global stage. His legacy is an inspiration to generations of entrepreneurs and leaders across Africa.”
Chiejina also mentioned that this recognition would further inspire the company to expand its reach, empower communities, and deliver meaningful value across Africa and beyond. He affirmed Dangote Industries’ continued commitment to excellence, integrity, and transformative growth.
In his keynote address, Mr. Claver Gatete, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, commended Aliko Dangote, the Hall of Fame inductees, and the Brand Africa laureates for advancing the African agenda. He noted the alignment between Brand Africa’s mission and the ECA’s objectives of promoting inclusive industrialization, regional integration, and private sector-led growth. Gatete also called for increased investment in youth-led innovation, regional value chains, and the establishment of a Pan-African Creative Innovation Fund to identify, finance, and globalize Africa’s most promising brands.
He specifically acknowledged MTN, Dangote Group, mPesa, and Ethiopian Airlines for consistently maintaining their distinguished positions among the “Most Admired African Brands” category and for continuing to set benchmarks in brand leadership, innovation, and continental impact.
However, the organizers of the Brand Africa 100 awards presented a contrasting picture within their 2025 rankings. While there is increasing African optimism, with 68% of Africans expressing belief in the continent (up from 64% in 2024), consumer loyalty to African brands appears to be declining. Only 11% of the Top 100 Most Admired Brands are African, marking a historic low and a decrease from 14% in 2024. The report suggests an urgent need for homegrown brands to convert this continental belief into tangible consumer loyalty and for Africans to more actively support “Made-in-Africa” products and enterprises.
Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa, voiced his disappointment at the sharp drop in African brands, which he believes mirrors the ranking of non-African nations as the most influential in Africa. “It’s a wake-up call for Africa—and a barometer of the continent’s lagging industrialization agenda,” he said. “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.”
Aliko Dangote’s recognition at the Brand Africa awards is consistent with his extensive contributions to Africa’s economic landscape. His business empire, the Dangote Group, which started as a small trading firm in 1977, has grown into Africa’s largest industrial conglomerate. Its ventures span critical sectors such as cement, sugar, flour, salt, and more recently, oil refining with the monumental Dangote Refinery. The Group’s operations extend across numerous African countries, contributing significantly to industrialization, job creation, and import substitution.
Beyond his business acumen, Dangote is also renowned for his significant philanthropic endeavors through the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF). Endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, the ADF spends an average of $35 million annually on initiatives across Africa. Its programs focus on health, nutrition (including a $100 million multi-year initiative to combat childhood malnutrition), education, and economic empowerment. The ADF played a crucial role in Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts, contributing to Africa’s wild polio-free status declared by the WHO in 2020. His recent $10 million donation to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Kano and the record-breaking N1.2 billion hostel donation to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, underscore his commitment to education and human capital development. These efforts solidify Dangote’s position not only as Africa’s wealthiest individual but also as one of its most impactful philanthropists.
