Africa Needs to Brand: Not just another consultant?

March 12, 2020     africa / African Americans / branding / Bulgaria / cradle of civilization / Culture / Diaspora / FDI / Greece / investment / nation / Nation Building / Nile / Resources / River / USA

In this global economy and current political climate, when approximately 25 African countries have been identified as emerging markets and 25+ countries have ratified to be one region under the AfCFTA, it is pivotal for African countries to focus on managing their image and narrative to regain the lost dignity and pride, increase Foreign Direct Investment for sturdier infrastructure development, and engage proactively the Diaspora which already contributes in the shift towards globalization. When African countries undertake branding, it is imperative to accept the impact of history and the cultural shift it is making in 21st century- as it intertwines with the Western and Eastern Culture. There are numerous factors about Africa, African people and race relations that we will not discuss in this blog though acknowledging the realities of past and current management of “Third World” countries, it is important to promote the value of Africa’s resources, amplify Africa’s rising narrative, and activate branding solutions to advance Africa Vision 2030, 2040, 2050 and 2063.

Resource Rich: Own the Narrative

“The whole is greater than the part,” it is worth noting that during the early Mesozoic Era, Africa was attached to all the other continents to form one gigantic continental landmass called Pangea, which later broke apart to form the world’s continents, as we know them today. A continent that is as large as the United States, China, India, New Zealand, Argentina and Europe combined to fit within Africa, it requires for each country to envision collectively what the country should be and stand for as one continent; thereafter it must uphold the duty and safeguard the action plan towards actualizing the vision. For instance, Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world yet rarely you would hear about Africa’s waters. Moreover, the Nile River taking its source from Ethiopia with a total length of 6,650 kilometers (4,132 miles) that cuts across 11 countries and drains into the Mediterranean Sea from Africa’s Northeastern edge is the world’s longest river. Yes, branding Africa extends to its resources given that the largest world reserves of minerals such as cobalt, uranium and ore to name a few are mined on the continent in addition to holding approximately 60% of the world arable land, and has birthed pioneers who were beholden to universal knowledge that extended to the establishment of the first university in 13th century in Mali. However crippled, Africa will require an image transformation as it has yet to reap the benefits of either being known as Africa or Resource Rich Continent with over 400 billion dollars worth of raw materials leaving the continent every year.

While Africa is the second largest of the earth’s seven continents, it’s shortcomings is not the lack of resilient people or Diaspora members remittances; rather it is Africa’s leadership that has failed the land, the people and even its own legacy. Through our cross-cultural branding services we are continuously contributing in branding Africa and for 12 months with a series of newsletters, my team and I researched and synthesized information about Africa’s potential and opportunities, Africa’s regional relations especially with the USA and China, and ultimately the Diaspora role as cultural brokers positioned to strengthen North America – Africa relations.

The Culture about Africa

Branding is culture that acts as a kind of filter or lens through which we view others, affecting the way we see them and creating multiple perspectives.

Often Africa similarly to the European Union (28 distinct countries) or the USA (50 unique states), it is lumped together as one entity and a continent of 54 countries are destined to be branded based on collective engagement rather than per country success. The view of Africa in North America is skewed towards negativity and lacks depth. It is reported that 84% of US institutional investors with an accumulated USD 1 trillion in assets under management have little or no knowledge of investment opportunities in Africa. Unlike China for instance, which has penetrated the African market by stating that Chinese companies are unafraid of incomplete and evolving institutions has made leaps and bounds to invest in each country’s infrastructure and has now engaged in humanitarian diplomacy as well as medical. The media overall and even more in the Western World, lacks coverage of Africa and the topic of African affairs falls under the radar if it’s not about destitution and chaos. For instance, a Brookings institution report states that three major newspapers (WSJ, NYT and the Economist) from 1980-2015 have published about 60,000 articles in total.

Despite the recognition about the start of human history, which stems from Ardi in Africa, our mistreatment of this bountiful continent has become our collective mirror – the way we treat Africa is the same way we treat ourselves. Even if we have been bombarded with evidence that Africa is the cradle of civilization despite recent history that showcases mankind insurgence from Greece and Bulgaria, we are reminded about the importance of our creation/our Being/our existence and the unquestionable evidence that Africa is part and parcel of a globalized world – when you see Sophia, the first Robot Saudi Citizen, you will learn a country like Ethiopia has contributed in her making. Yet in the narrative of Africa and the culture propagated about Africa does not conceive the probabilities of having Africans partaking in such transformational projects.

“Our children may learn about the heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves the architects of the future.”
” ~ Jomo Kenyatta

Where does Branding for Africa start?

We are surely living interesting stories, experiencing interactions detrimental to our beings and absorbing language that inherently has become part of our culture.

We are 7.2 billion individuals sharing 196.9 million mi² of land mass divided in 194 countries speaking about 6909 languages yet dominated by one – English- and even though we are interconnected by soil, water, air and all that encompasses our Being in this Universe, we are humanly interwoven by what is called the ICT, Internet of Things and so much more… So here we are in 21st century, led by the boldest and truest President in American history and as the branding Guru has evoked the cradle of civilization and the start of humanity as a persona non grata. Moreover, the branding Genius has also branded Africa as “Shithole” in less than 730 days of his leadership and the populous has amplified the language by claiming it, owning it and sharing it as if it is another branded items designed for our pleasurable entertainment. Such labeling brands the continent and for years to come, the label will follow Africa like all the other derogatory words. But despite all these words, this presents an opportunity for US- Africa relations to be stronger and greater!

This is an opportune time for leadership in Africa to align with the US economic relations, look inward to reflect about the nation’s values and define the way forward because US is committed to making Africa its strongest regional partner given that Africa’s Gross National Wellbeing is at stake. In the case of Africa, to transform its narrative, Africa’s stakeholders have to commit to the inherent responsibility of upholding the nation’s dignity, territorial integrity and cultural grandeur, pride as well as value.

21st century and regional competition amongst the developed countries positions the African continent in a perfect place to benefit most from technology, innovation, business, education, health and all that makes smart cities, and at the same time should invest in nation building. The real challenge is to provide balanced and substantiated perspectives, rather than catchy titles with hollow contents and mundane events. For instance, the continent’s growth in 2020 is projected to be at 3.9% in 2020. Another example is the misconception of poor Africans that should be demysitifed because according to the AfrAsia Bank Africa Wealth Report 2017, there are presently 145.000 millionaires living in Africa and their combined wealth amounts to a total of roughly 800 billion USD aside from counting wealthy countries such as Mauritius being the wealthiest ahead of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Egypt and Angola.

African countries and African owned businesses have to ignite their lights, showcase their unique value propositions and demonstrate the long-term value of consuming as well as interacting with each brand. African countries have the ability to change their narratives and not necessarily by hiring the same “old” consulting firms to recycle each country’s vision rather each country should take ownership by bringing the three pillars – Government, Private sector, civil society – together to establish what the country aims to be and execute on the vision. Moreover, the most underutilized asset for both Africa and North America is the African Diaspora though in 2019 under the Year of Return Campaign, a country like Ghana was able to engage in the larger African Diaspora and increase its tourism revenue. African Diaspora are brand ambassadors of African countries and have a responsibility to represent not just the country of origin but also the continent. Inversely, when African diaspora members are in Africa, Diaspora members should act as representatives of North America which means ensuring to be a bridge between US interests and Africa’s growth.

Branding is also about creating institutions which is articulated by the leadership and nurtured by teams -at all levels, in pursuit of actualizing the vision set by the founders. Africa has the institutional foundation to implement an integrated, innovative and structured world and has the ability to transform the realities based on common values. For some of us who have dedicated a lifetime understanding the nuances of culture, the process of globalization and the deployment of capitalism, it is hard to digest the current state of global affairs let along the state of Africa and the nations scattered around the world. Changing the African narrative and image requires country image strategies and ICT. We are here to assist countries transform their narrative that can drive measurable investment (FDI & DDI), produce consumable content, promote bankable transactions and exhibit memorable branded experiences.