Leading telecommunications operator, Globacom has emerged as one of the five best brands in Africa in the latest survey conducted by Brand Africa and published in African Business magazine.

Brand Africa said that Globacom, the parent company of Glo Mobile Ghana, made the list because it has "won the hearts of the communities where it has its footprint". Brand Africa stated that Globacom got an impressive brand value of 655 to rank among the Top 5 brands in the continent in a list of the Top 10 Most Valuable Brands in Africa.

Brand Africa said in its report that in 10 years of operation, Glo has built a reputation as an authentic African brand with its extensive network across several African countries where it operates such as Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic.

Some of the strategies adopted by Globacom to establish a strong pedigree as a pan-Africa brand with phenomenal equity include the sponsorship of the annual Glo CAF Awards, a celebration of Africa's best footballers; the CNN African Voices, which celebrates heroic Africans in different fields of human endeavour; the X Factor, the world's biggest music reality TV show; Manchester United, one of the world's best football clubs; live telecast of English Premier League on DSTV among others.

The sponsorships, coupled with Globacom's determination to deliver premium telecommunication services to consumers in markets where it operates, has helped the company to gain top of mind awareness and strong recall in Africa and beyond.

Brand Africa recalled that Glo is renowned for its investments in telecom infrastructure in Africa such as the Glo 1; its 6,800 kilometre wholly owned submarine cable which links over 14 countries in Africa with Europe and North America. The cable has also made a huge impact on communications on the continent, making telephony and internet access faster, more reliable and more accessible.

The survey tagged, “The Brand Africa 100 Table”, was developed by Brand Leadership Academy in partnership with TNS, the globally respected consumer knowledge and information company and Brand Finance Plc, the world's leading independent valuation consultancy. It seeks to identify, acknowledge and promote African and global brands that are catalysts for Africa's growth, reputation and value. Its ranking is based on a methodology that blends a brand’s financial performance and consumer admiration scores to create a unique index and ranking.

“Based on Brand Africa’s definition of an African brand as a multinational brand developed in Africa, by Africans, with a secondary or primary listing in Africa, serving customers primarily in Africa, with a growing international recognition or footprint and contributes to Africa’s economic growth and global image and reputation, it is no surprise that Globacom made the list," says Globacom Group COO, Mohamed Jameel.

“Glo is well known for its outstanding performance in the countries where it has its footprint, for its contributions to economic growth and for its investments in sports, arts and entertainment. We have made telephony more available with our reliable networks and competitive tariffs. We have also invested heavily in sports and the entertainment industry through Nollywood and Ghollywood”, he said.

The survey further recognizes African brands which were beginning to challenge or lead global brands in Africa and across various industries including telecommunications.

Explaining its method of arriving at the brands' ranking, Brand Africa said "the study involved a comprehensive research among consumers 18 years and older, living in representative countries in metropolitan sub-Saharan Africa regions who were asked to draw up a list of the most admired African and global brands in Africa. Each respondent was asked to mention the five local and global brands they admired.

Commenting on the survey, Brand Africa founder and Chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng said, "One of the primary drivers of Africa’s growth lies in stimulating and growing thriving African and global businesses and brands in Africa. Consumers are the ultimate arbiters of that success. Thus, the inaugural Brand Africa 100 signals which brands are getting it right on the continent".

In its bid to reward its loyal subscribers, Glo Mobile Ghana is currently staging its highly rated “Glo Slide & Bounce Tour” concert in the country. Dubbed “the biggest jam to ever hit Ghana”, the Accra edition of the concerts will hold this Saturday at the Accra Sports Stadium. It will feature P Square, Edem, ASEM, MI, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Sherifa Gunu, Kwabena Kwabena, and Reggie Rockstone, Okey Bakassi and DJ Black.