African Giant of the Week: Thebe Ikalafeng, Building a Stronger African Brand

What if Africa could change the way the world sees it, not by waiting for someone else to tell its story, but by becoming better at telling its own?

That question sits at the heart of the work of Thebe Ikalafeng, a South African branding strategist, entrepreneur, author and leading voice in Africa’s brand and identity conversation.

Born and raised in Kimberley, South Africa, Ikalafeng has spent decades working at the intersection of branding, marketing, leadership and African development. He is the founder and chairman of Brand Africa, an organisation established to strengthen Africa’s brand, identity and influence while encouraging Africans to recognise the value of what the continent creates.

Through Brand Africa, he created Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands, an annual study that measures the brands most admired across the continent. The research covers more than 30 African markets, representing over 80% of the continent’s GDP and population, making it a significant reference point for understanding Africa’s brand landscape.

But for Ikalafeng, branding has never been simply about logos, advertising or selling products.

It is about identity.

He has consistently argued for a stronger African narrative, one in which Africans are not merely consumers of foreign brands and ideas but also producers, creators and owners of brands capable of competing globally. His work reflects a broader belief that what Africa creates and celebrates can influence how the continent is perceived beyond its borders.

His commitment to understanding Africa has also taken him across the entire continent. Ikalafeng has visited every African country, documenting his experiences and reflections in his book, The Traveller: Crossing Borders and Connecting Africa. The book captures his journey across Africa and his attempt to understand the continent beyond the lens of his South African upbringing.

That Pan-African outlook has continued to shape his more recent work.

In 2025, Ikalafeng conceived Africa Re-Union, a monumental artwork created with South African artist Mark Modimola and historian Professor Kwesi DLS Prah. The work reimagines the 1884 Berlin Conference, where European powers divided territories in Africa, and instead presents an Africa reclaiming its place at the table and imagining its own future. Ikalafeng later gifted the original artwork to the University of South Africa rather than selling it.

His influence has also been recognised beyond the branding industry. In 2024, the University of South Africa awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contribution to business, learning and his advocacy for a brand-led African renaissance.

From corporate marketing to African brand leadership, from travelling across the continent to reimagining its history through art, Thebe Ikalafeng has built his work around one powerful idea: Africa should have a stronger voice in defining how Africa is seen.

And perhaps that is what makes his story worth celebrating.

Because sometimes, changing a continent’s image begins with changing the story it tells about itself.