Staff Writer
Brand Africa has unveiled Namibia’s results at the 16th annual Brand Africa 100/Africa’s Best Brands rankings.
This marked the 7th edition of Namibia’s participation in the continent’s most comprehensive brand rankings, and it is the most significant yet.
MTC claimed the Grand Prix as Namibia’s most admired brand, while Windhoek Beer confirmed its position as the number two most admired brand, with Telecom Namibia at number three.
The results reflect a consistent pattern that Namibian brands lead in categories where they have built infrastructure, distribution and consumer trust over decades.
Namibian brands also dominated the beer and alcohol category, with Windhoek Beer, Tafel Lager and Namibia Breweries occupying all three podium positions.
In Telecommunications, MTC led with Telecom Namibia at number 2 with no international brand in the top two.
These results confirm what the data has shown consistently over Namibia’s seven-year Brand Africa history, being that local brands win where they have been built with patience, investment and community relevance.
“Namibia wins where it has the infrastructure as MTC’s Grand Prix and Windhoek Beer’s number one positions demonstrate. They are the result of brands that have been built with discipline, purpose and a deep understanding of the Namibian consumer. The work now is to extend that brand-building discipline into categories where Namibian brands are not yet competing, luxury, technology, personal care and to build the distribution, financing and policy environment that allows admiration to translate into market share and export revenue,” said Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa.
“Namibia’s seven-year journey with Brand Africa is a story of growing brand confidence and commercial identity. Today, we did not just celebrate brands, we announced the formation of the Brand Namibia Council, a body dedicated to inspiring, promoting and celebrating Made in Namibia brands. This Council will bring together business and civil society and support the government, in ensuring that the admiration Namibians have for their own brands translates into deliberate choices, policy support and investment. We believe that a strong brand Namibia is the foundation of a competitive, prosperous Namibia,” said Lazarus Jacobs, chairman of Brand Africa Namibia.
Brand Africa also recognised two of Namibia’s most distinguished marketing leaders.
Dries van der Sandt, chief marketing officer of Namibia Breweries, and Tim Ekandjo, holding a similar position at MTC, were both named among the Top 100 Most Influential African CMOs, a recognition that places Namibian marketing leadership among the continent’s elite and reflects the calibre of brand stewardship behind Namibia’s two strongest brands.
Pupkewitz was recognised with the Brand Africa Heritage and Homegrown Brand Excellence Award, honouring a brand deeply rooted in Africa, both in origin and in the lives of African consumers.
Brand Africa also recognised two Namibian leaders for distinguished service. James Sankwasa was honoured for Distinguished Leadership in Public Service for driving excellence in the public service and policies that create an enabling environment for brands and businesses; and David Namalenga for Distinguished Leadership in the Private Sector, for inspirational leadership in competitive and increasingly non-Namibian dominated industrial sector that has created sustainable jobs.
