Kenya ranks position 47 out of 50 in the latest Anholt-Ipsos global Nation Brands Index.
In the latest survey released on Friday, Kenya’s brand weaknesses is on governance, immigration and investment categories. This is particularly in regards to perceptions of rights and fairness in its governance and being a good place to work and live.
The report further shows Kenya’s reputational strengths are on culture and tourism categories, which are driven by positive opinion about its excellence in sports and natural beauty.
The strengths and weaknesses showcase subcategories in which the 20,000 survey respondents rated Kenya the best and the worst against all other 49 countries.
The survey was conducted between July 7 and August 31. Some 20,019 online interviews were conducted in 20-panel countries with adults aged 18 or over.
The respondents were able to measure 50 countries in the areas of exports, governance, culture, people, tourism and immigration and investment.
The Nation Brands Index was designed and launched by Simon Anholt in 2005.
Since 1998, he has advised the presidents, prime ministers and governments of 56 countries, helping them to engage more imaginatively and effectively with the international community.
The index measures the power and appeal of each country’s “brand image” by examining six dimensions of national competence. Together, these dimensions make up the Nation Brand Hexagon.
According to the report Kenya is underperforming the nation’s brand index’s regional and global averages.
With regards to exports, Kenya still ranks bottom 10 with a strength in buying products and a weakness in science and technology. This, the report says, Kenya underperforms the exports index’s regional and global averages.
On governance, Kenya has strength in peace and security but has a weakness in rights and fairness thus underperforming the governance index’s regional and global averages.
“While Kenya has a strength in sports and a weakness in contemporary culture, it performs above the culture index’s regional average but underperforms at the global average,” the report reads in part.
The country has strength in welcoming people but a weakness in employability.
As a result, it performs above the people index’s regional average but underperforms on the global average.
With regard to tourism, the report reveals Kenya has strength in natural beauty but a weakness in urban vibrancy. As a result, Kenya underperforms the tourism index’s regional and global average.
“While Kenya has strength in advocating for equality in society, it has a weakness in pushing for the same when it comes to a place to work and live. As a result, it underperforms the immigration-investment index’s regional and global averages,” the report said.
According to the report, this year is marked by an overall decline in the perception of nations’ reputations, and the top-10 NBI nations are not immune to this overall negative sentiment.
Germany retained the top position and is just one year away from matching the United States’ record of seven years as the top NBI nation.
The report reveals Germany’s leading advantage is its consistent strengths across multiple reputational categories, particularly in exports, immigration and investment, culture, and governance.
Global citizens have positive feelings about buying German products, the employability of the German people, and the appeal of investing in the country’s businesses, placing it first in all three categories for 2020.
UK’s ranking jumped from fourth to second place, while Australia advanced from 10th to eighth place, a record high for both nations.
France, which was ranked in second place last year, dropped to the fifth, while the US, whose image-stabilised in 2019 after plunging to sixth place in 2017, saw a further reputational decline in 2020 falling to 10th place, a record low for both nations.