An address by Mr Olufemi Awoyemi, Founder/Chairman, Proshare Nigeria
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
I appreciate the opportunity to deliver this keynote message at the Brand Nigeria Leadership Forum 2025, a convening that goes beyond dialogue to address a national imperative: how Nigeria is perceived, valued, and projected in an increasingly competitive and evolving world.
As an African proverb reminds us, “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” For too long, Nigeria’s story has been written for us, not by us. Today, we gather to reclaim authorship of that narrative, grounded in truth, driven by data, and expressed through policy clarity and institutional credibility.
A report on the strategic analysis of the Nigeria brand reveals a nation of immense potential yet paradoxical reputation.
While Nigeria ranks as a leading brand in Africa due to its vibrant creative industries, entrepreneurial spirit, and economic scale, its global standing is severely undermined by a “narrative imbalance” – such that the international portrayal of Nigeria too often emphasises fragility over progress.
While we must acknowledge our governance and development challenges, we must equally amplify credible evidence of progress across industries, individuals and community development.
Past top-down, slogan-based branding campaigns have failed because they did not address these foundational credibility issues. Drawing on the successes of other nations, such as South Korea and New Zealand, the report on strategic analysis advocates for an “inside-out” approach – building brand credibility through a focus on tangible domestic reforms, particularly in governance and infrastructure, while leveraging Nigeria’s existing, organic soft power assets such as the creative and technology sectors and its influential diaspora.
Nigeria’s Brand Paradox
Nigeria is a country of immense potential. We are ranked as the second strongest national brand in Africa and 49th globally, ahead of even South Africa. This recognition stems from the undeniable energy of our people, the vibrancy of our creative industries, the dynamism of our technology ecosystem, and the reach of our global diaspora.
Nollywood, Afrobeats, sportsmen, medical professionals and our financial services have become cultural exports admired worldwide. Nigerian tech startups, five of which have attained unicorn status, symbolise innovation and resilience. Our diaspora, which contributes over $25 billion annually in remittances (far lower than possible), represents one of the nation’s greatest untapped strategic assets.
Yet, for every story of success, there is a counter-narrative of failure that grabs the headlines. Governance deficits, entrenched corruption, insecurity, and a crippling infrastructure gap have eroded domestic trust and credibility.
In fact, while our people and private sector have built global recognition, the state has too often failed to provide the foundation needed for long-term brand credibility.
This is the paradox of the Nigeria brand: admired abroad, distrusted at home.
Why Past Branding Efforts Failed
Nigeria has tried before. We have launched the “Heart of Africa Project,” the “Rebranding Nigeria” campaign, and others, featuring slogans such as “Good People, Great Nation.”
But these campaigns have largely failed. Why? Because they treated branding as a PR exercise rather than a performance challenge. They sold an aspirational story without addressing the underlying issues of perception – corruption, insecurity, and poor governance.
When leaders honoured fraudsters with national recognition, rewarded bad behaviour with ambassadorial appointments, or when public services crumbled despite lofty promises, our collective trust deficit and credibility gap only widened.
The lesson is clear: nation branding is not about slogans, but about substance. A brand is the outcome of a nation’s actions, not the wrapper around them.
Key Strengths of the Nigeria Brand Key Weaknesses of the Nigeria Brand
Vibrant creative industries (Nollywood, Afrobeats, financial services, etc) High-level, systemic corruption
Booming tech and startup ecosystem Political instability and insecurity
Large, youthful, and entrepreneurial population Significant infrastructure deficit and poor maintenance
Strong private sector resilience and corporate brands Brain drain and human capital flight
Abundant natural and human resources Lack of institutional continuity and political will
Credit: Multiple Research Sources & AI
A New Strategic Blueprint: Inside-Out Branding
If perception trails performance, the antidote is proof. To move forward, Nigeria must shift from cosmetic campaigns to inside-out branding, building credibility from within and letting perception follow performance.
A possible blueprint rests on three pillars:
1. Laying the Foundation: Governance and Infrastructure
• We must adopt and build a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to dealing with our governance and the messaging of justice, rule of law and accountability. We can also do more to confront corruption head-on, strengthen anti-corruption agencies, and build an independent judiciary that protects the rule of law.
• Nigeria’s $878 billion infrastructure gap cannot be ignored. Roads, power, and water systems have to be a primary focus – not only to support citizens but also to attract long-term investment. Public-Private Partnerships offer a practical way forward, ensuring that infrastructure growth is both sustainable and adequately maintained.
2. Activating Catalysts: Culture and Technology
• Our creative industries, ranging from Nollywood to Afrobeats, generate over US$6 billion annually, positioning Nigeria as a global cultural powerhouse.
Nollywood and Afrobeats must evolve beyond being organic successes to become structured instruments of cultural diplomacy, much like South Korea has transformed K-pop into a cornerstone of its soft power.
• Nigeria’s resilience is measurable. In the last decade, our digital economy produced five unicorns: Andela, Flutterwave, Interswitch, OPay, and Moniepoint, collectively valued at over US$5 billion. Lagos State now ranks among Africa’s most dynamic startup ecosystems, attracting over US$150 million in funding in 2024 alone.
This tech sector’s contribution to GDP must be positioned as a symbol of progress. We can take it a step further by enhancing technical education, investing in startups, and promoting innovation in FinTech, EdTech, and AgriTech, thereby enabling Nigeria to establish itself as a hub of African innovation.
• The agricultural sector, with 70% of arable land yet untapped, and new reforms in gas monetisation, anchors the nation’s energy and food-security strategy. We have a tale to share.
• These are not abstract statistics; they are expressions of Nigeria’s brand assets, resilience, innovation, adaptability, and creative excellence. However, sustaining these gains requires institutional reform that connects economic outcomes to brand equity.
3. Harnessing Multipliers: The Diaspora
• Beyond remittances, the diaspora represents knowledge transfer, mentorship, and a global ambassadorial network. Structured engagement programs can transform this community into a powerful force for national development and image-building.
To strengthen Brand Nigeria, we must embed credibility at every level of policy design and execution, particularly in our approach to the Diaspora policy.
Resilience as an Asset
In periods of global uncertainty, currency volatility, supply chain disruptions, and climate risks, resilience has become a key metric of national competitiveness.
Nigeria’s story of resilience is not accidental; it is structural. From entrepreneurs adapting to inflation through “sachetisation” and micro-innovation, to communities combining traditional knowledge with technology in agriculture and trade, our people consistently turn constraint into creativity.
For resilience to become an asset, it must be documented, measured, and communicated. This means aligning data collection with storytelling, ensuring that our statistical agencies, policy think tanks, and media ecosystems consistently and transparently convey the same truth.
Building the Brand: The Role of Stakeholders in the Implementation Framework
A nation’s brand is a collective enterprise. It cannot be outsourced, nor can it be improvised. Success will not come from government alone. It requires a Public-Private-People (PPP) Framework:
1. The Public Sector/Government must provide policy stability and institutional credibility. Every regulation, fiscal directive, and economic reform either contributes to or erodes the nation’s reputation. Policy consistency is not just a governance virtue; it is a branding strategy. Policies must be citizen-centric and communicated with utmost decency.
2. The Private Sector must embody innovation, ethics, and excellence. Corporate governance, transparency, and corporate social responsibility form the face of Nigeria that investors see first; thus, the private sector must move from merely being economic operators to reputation ambassadors.
Along these lines, the Media and Storytellers have the power and responsibility to balance criticism with context. Constructive scrutiny is essential, but so is the intentional decision to celebrate progress. The stories of local entrepreneurs, communities, and reforms must be told with data, not distortion.
3. The People and the Diaspora must embrace their role as Nigeria’s greatest storytellers and ultimate brand ambassadors, empowered by visible reforms that restore trust. With over 200 million citizens, a median age of 18, our human capital remains our greatest asset and deployment platform. Beyond Diaspora remittances, they transfer credibility, innovation, and influence; and we should pay attention to this – data supports their critical role.
To institutionalise this, a school of thought posits that there may be a need for a permanent, cross-sectoral body insulated from political cycles, which should be tasked with ensuring continuity and accountability.
Currently, Nigeria’s brand reputation is conceptually ‘managed’ by the newly launched Nigeria Reputation Management Group (NRMG), a private sector-led initiative supported by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Information and National Orientation and spearheaded by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
The NRMG aims to reposition Nigeria’s image globally by highlighting its strengths, achievements, and potential, while addressing negative perceptions, combating misinformation and fostering a positive national brand.
They have their work cut out for them, as they will have to draw in other reputation impact entities to come on board to reposition the brand. The goal for Brand Nigeria must be one where each of the above stakeholders aligns their actions with the collective aspiration(s) – a crucial step towards nation-building and less emphasis on fault lines.
Measuring Progress: A Call to Action Beyond Slogans
For credibility, we must measure performance using clear and transparent key performance indicators. To institutionalise the management of our national reputation, permit me to share the following five strategic actions, a product of a review of work done by experts:
1. Institutionalise Nation-Brand Governance: Establish a coordinated framework linking the Ministries of Information, Trade, and Foreign Affairs with private-sector and diaspora bodies to manage perception metrics and communication coherence.
2. Integrate Data with Diplomacy: National data systems, from the NBS to sector regulators, must be upgraded for accuracy and accessibility. Reliable data builds investor confidence and global credibility.
3. Promote Evidence-Based Storytelling: Develop an annual State of Brand Nigeria Report that aggregates metrics on competitiveness, innovation, sustainability, and social progress. Let our story be data-driven and transparent.
4. Align CSR and ESG Agendas with Brand Goals: Encourage businesses to align sustainability programs with national priorities, education, climate adaptation, and inclusion, making corporate impact measurable and communicable.
5. Empower Citizens as Brand Custodians: Embed civic education and digital-ethics programs that encourage responsible online and offline representation of Nigeria. Every citizen, at home or abroad, is a stakeholder in the country’s reputation capital.
The key indicators will cover:
• Economic KPIs: foreign direct investment, non-oil exports, tech capitalisation.
• Governance KPIs: improvements in corruption perception, rule of law, and press freedom.
• Social KPIs: diaspora engagement outcomes, national pride surveys.
• Cultural KPIs: Nollywood box office figures, Afrobeats streaming data, and tourism arrivals.
• Communication KPIs: Telling a compelling national brand story that focuses on progress and potential to citizens and the global community by focusing on its authentic identity, achievements, and strengths.
These metrics hold the potential to transform nation branding from aspiration to accountability.
Concluding Thoughts and Reflections
Ladies and gentlemen, Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment. Our economy is undergoing long-overdue reforms, and the pain is real. Yet, the resilience I spoke about has once again kicked in, and this is evident in how our institutions are adapting. Our fellow citizens are redefining excellence across various industries, driven by a hope for sincere governance.
The Nigeria brand is not fragile; it is resilient, but it is incomplete. Its strength comes not from government slogans but from the creativity, resilience, and brilliance of Nigerians everywhere.
To translate progress into perception, however, we must synchronise three key elements: policy consistency, institutional credibility, and strategic communication.
This approach enables us to utilise the story of our problem-solving reforms to craft a compelling perception and narrative of rebirth, resilience, and renewal.
Perception follows performance, but only when performance is visible, measurable, and sustained. Our task, therefore, is not just to manage narratives but to engineer them through facts, transparency, and collaboration.
If we align governance with integrity, innovation with inclusion, and communication with truth, Brand Nigeria will not merely exist as an idea; it will function as an instrument of economic diplomacy, investment attraction, and national pride.
In the end, a nation’s brand is not defined by what others say about it, but by what it consistently proves about itself. Let us leave this gathering with a resolve to build a Brand Nigeria that will not only command recognition, but respect on the world stage.
In closing, we must view these dynamics as more than just branding; they are nation-building imperatives. It is about creating a Nigeria whose brand is not just admired but also trusted. A Nigeria where the phrase Great Nation is not an aspiration but a lived reality.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention and patience.
About the AUTHOR
Olufemi M. AWOYEMI FCA, FCTI, FCIB, F.CIoD, FIIM, FERM, FICA, FIAPM, ACS, mni is the founder of Proshare LLC, Nigeria’s leading financial information hub. He holds several memberships and fellowships with various professional bodies. With a distinguished career spanning close to four decades, Olufemi has built expertise in business strategy and governance and is highly regarded for credibility-driven interventions in economic intelligence, market governance and public policy. He has worked with reputable and leading corporate entities.
Olufemi is currently a Governing Council Member and Vice President of the Association of the Investment Advisers & Portfolio Managers (IAPM), Trustee of the African Fintech Network (AFN), Governing Council member of the Association of Corporate and Individual Investment Advisers (CIIA), Executive Council member of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), member of the CIBN’s Business and Government Relations Committee, member of the Advisory Board of FITC Sustainability ESG Institute, Co-Chair of the Policy, Strategy and Innovation Committee of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), and Secretary-General of its Lagos Chapter. You can follow him on X or email him at ceo@proshare.co
