The recognition was announced at the 2026 Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands rankings unveiled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

The annual survey, regarded as Africa’s most extensive consumer-led brand study, covered 30 countries representing more than 85% of the continent’s population and economic output.

Dangote ranked first in aided recall, ahead of MTN and Vodacom. MTN, however, led in spontaneous recall, with Dangote coming second in that category and Trade Kings in third place.

The report also ranked Dangote as the continent’s leading industrial brand and placed it first among African brands seen as contributing to a better society. MTN, DStv, Shoprite/Checkers and Trade Kings followed in that category.

Across the board, Brand Africa noted that African brands continually hold a small share of visibility, accounting for 15% of the Top 100 list. European brands made up 38%, North American brands 28%, and Asian brands 19%.

Brand Africa Founder and Chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng, said African consumers still need to strengthen support for locally made products.

“Converting goodwill towards African contribution into admiration for African brands is the most urgent commercial opportunity for the continent. It is not enough for Africans to believe in Africa, they must buy Made-in-Africa,” he said.

Dangote also placed second in the sustainability and social impact category, which recognises brands contributing positively to society and the environment.

The rankings placed Dangote, MTN Group and Ethiopian Airlines among Africa’s strongest indigenous brands, though global names such as Nike, Adidas, Samsung, Apple and Coca-Cola topped the overall Top 100.

The report on Africa’s most admired brand also highlighted recognition for Dangote Industries’ Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, who was named among Africa’s 100 Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers under the ACMO100 list.

The initiative, run in partnership with Brand Africa, African Business magazine, MIPAD and African Media Agency, recognises marketing leaders bolstering brand growth and reputation across the continent and diaspora.

Chiejina was among 17 Nigerians and 20 West African executives selected for the list, based on research covering industry influence, leadership and contribution to brand development.

The latest recognition adds to earlier honours, including Dangote Industries’ induction into the Brand Africa Hall of Fame after years of consistent performance in the rankings. 

Aliko Dangote also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to industrialisation and for building one of Africa’s largest indigenous business groups.

The Dangote officials are expected to go along with detailed documents on forex transactions by the conglomerate covering the last nine years.

Operatives of the EFCC had on Thursday visited the headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited in Ikoyi, Lagos, in furtherance of the ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of the foreign exchange allocations by the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

The anti-graft commission is probing the alleged preferential allocations of forex to the Dangote Group owned by billionaire Aliko Dangote and 51 other companies under the Emefiele-led CBN.

It was gathered on Friday that the operatives carted away some documents from the group’s head office on Thursday, but they did not cover all the transactions, hence the decision to summon the officials to bring the documents to Abuja on Tuesday.

It was learnt that Dangote was not in Nigeria when the operatives of the commission stormed the headquarters of his conglomerate as he was said to be in the United States of America. However, sources said he would return to Nigeria next week to personally sort out the problem.

It was also gathered that he was aware of the demands of the anti-corruption agency, but it could not be confirmed if he was informed before the EFCC sent its operatives to his company.

But a highly placed EFCC official said senior executives of the company had been mandated to supply the commission with what he called “detailed and unambiguous documents on the demands by the commission.

It was gathered that the officials would be expected at the agency’s office on Tuesday. (Punch)

The issuance comprises a 7-year 12.75% Tranche-A and a 10-year 13.50% Tranche-B Senior Unsecured Bond.

This represents the first issuance by DIL, under its newly established NGN300 billion Debt Issuance Programme.

The bond issuance was well received by the market and recorded participation from a wide range of investors including domestic pension funds, asset managers, insurance companies and high net-worth investors.

DIL plans to utilize the net proceeds from the Series 1 bond issuance to complete the financing of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery Project, an Integrated Petrochemical Complex, and the largest Single Train Petroleum Refinery in the World, which is currently scheduled to commence operations in the first half of 2023.

Speaking on the transaction Mr Olukorede Adenowo, Standard Chartered’s Executive Director, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Nigeria & West Africa, noted that “Standard Chartered is proud to have led this historic transaction which marks the largest corporate bond ever issued in the Nigerian capital markets, reflecting the strong credit quality of the issuer as well as the resilience of the Nigerian domestic markets, despite the current global market volatility.”

Also speaking on the transaction, Amaka Nsofor, Executive Principal, Debt Capital Markets, highlighted that “We are very pleased with this remarkable feat. Standard Chartered continues to be a leading debt capital markets house both in the domestic and international markets. In line with our mandate, we will continue to work with our clients across Africa to deliver on their growth aspirations and use our market leading position in the capital market to drive development on the continent.”

Dangote Industries is one of the leading, diversified and fully integrated conglomerates with operations in Nigeria and Africa with 11 distinct business lines, with the cement, sugar and salt business currently contributing the majority of the group earnings.

DIL also has two project companies, Dangote Oil Refinery Company Limited (“DORC”), a 650,000 b/pd integrated crude oil refinery and petrochemical plant, which is expected to be Africa’s largest oil refinery, and Dangote Fertilizer Limited (“DFL”), a facility with a production capacity of up to 2.8 Mtpa which is expected to be Africa’s largest granulated urea fertiliser manufacturing facility. DIL is currently domestically rated AA+ by GCR and AA (ngr) by Fitch Ratings.