Brand South Africa Identifies Nigeria As Key Market

From L-R: Ambassador Sonni Yusuf, Nigeria High Commissioner to South Africa; Mzwandile Masina, South Africa Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry; Ambassador Mokgethi Monaisa, South Africa Consular General in Lagos and Miller Matola, Brand South Africa Chief Executive Officer at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce August 2014 breakfast meeting in Lagos.

South Africa, the agency responsible for creating positive and compelling brand image for South Africa has identified Nigeria market as a key focus for its African programme.

Brand South Africa Chief Executive Officer; Miller Matola disclosed this at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) breakfast meeting in Lagos.

The Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting is a monthly event, which brings together individuals and corporates with vested business interest in both Nigeria and the South African economies.

The theme for the August 2014 NSACC event which is sponsored by Brand South Africa is Africa’s Competitiveness – Nigeria/South Africa, Cooperation or Competition’.

According to Matola, the choice of Nigeria along-with Angola, DRC, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal as key markets is informed by South Africa’s foreign policy, both political and economic diplomacy as well as trade and investment imperatives.

Matola mentioned the importance of the South Africa nation brand viz-a-viz the promotion of the African brand in view of developing the continent as a whole and competing at par with international standards.

“Brand South Africa pursues its Africa Programme with an emphasis on promoting South Africa nation brand as part of the continent brand, ‘Brand Africa’; therefore Africa’s reputation and competitiveness is central to that agenda,” Matola stated. He challenged the organized African business and corporate brands to invest in changing the perception of Africa from negativity to positivity.

The Brand South Africa CEO said, “There is no doubt about the power of commercial brands to convey the overall brand of their country of origin – be it innovation, excellence or quality, which will result in investment in changing the narrative about how Africa as a continent is perceived.”