Made in Africa: building strong brands on the continent

During a session at last week’s World Economic Forum on Africa, held in Cape Town, experts discussed how Africa can tap into local innovation to launch globally recognised brands. Here are the highlights from the session.

Brand Africa has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, said Xavier-Luc Duval, vice-prime minister and minister of finance and economic development of Mauritius. The transformation, he added, has not been as superficial as the word “brand” might imply.

“Over the years, Mauritius has been consistent in achieving political stability, consistent in the rule of law, consistent in educating our people, consistent in easing the cost of doing business,” he said, highlighting that a country’s brand is what it does and not what says it is. read more