Brands-In-Rwanda

Spotlighting The Cool Brands Making Rwanda Impossible To Ignore II Curated By Business Insights Africa II @Afro_Insights

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

BRAND ANALYSIS | Is Old Mutual's #ThriveAppRw #WellnessApp smart branding or just another App?
Old Mutual has introduced Thrive, a free wellness app in both Uganda I @OldMutualUganda and Rwanda I @OldMutual_Rw, offering tools for physical, mental, nutritional and financial wellbeing.

The big question:
What does a free wellness app really add to an insurance brand?

The strategy makes sense on paper. Thrive could help @OldMutualLtd engage customers more frequently, strengthen brand loyalty and create opportunities to promote its insurance products.

However, with countless wellness apps already available, why would consumers choose one from an insurance company? And what would keep them using it?

While the app is free for users, maintaining it still costs money. Its success should therefore be measured beyond downloads and publicity.

Does it improve customer retention, strengthen brand perception or generate new business?
#BrandAnalysis
#OldMutual
#ThriveApp
#BrandStrategy
#DigitalMarketing
#Insurance
#CustomerEngagement

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

Here are Africa's #Top10BiggestTelecomBrands

Research and compilation @Afro_Insights

#TelecomRankings
#MobileConnectivity
#DigitalAfrica
#MobileMoney
#DigitalTransformation

[Business Insights Africa @Afro_Insights]

TOP 10 TELECOMS IN AFRICA II RANKING:
Here are Africa’s top 10 telecom brands (based on subscriber numbers).

PLEASE NOTE:
▪️ A few major multinational groups dominate the telecommunications landscape alongside massive single-country state operators.

▪️ The biggest multinationals, @MTNGroup, @Vodacom and @airtelafrica, control the vast majority of the continent's wireless market share.

▪️ Vodacom's rapid expansion of its user base is largely attributed to its consolidation of @VodafoneEgypt and its strategic stakes across East Africa.

▪️ Aside from raw subscriber metrics, operators like @SafaricomPLC (via @MPESAAfrica) and MTN (via @MTNMoMoGroup) generate a substantial share of their enterprise value through digital financial services, making them among the strongest global telecom brands.

▪️ State-backed @ethiotelecom rivals multinational footprints largely because of Ethiopia's massive population, though it now faces subscriber competition from the newly entered Safaricom Ethiopia Telecommunications PLC consortium.

▪️@GroupeSonatel, based in Senegal, is one of West Africa's most financially robust enterprise giants. However, it is a subsidiary of France's @orange, which explains why it is unranked individually.

#TelecomRankings
#MobileConnectivity
#DigitalAfrica
#MobileMoney
#DigitalTransformation

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

#VisitRwanda

[Visit Rwanda @visitrwanda_now]

A touch of Rwanda at @SoFiStadium in Los Angeles. 🏈🇷🇼

📸 The Land of a Thousand Hills on display before a packed crowd at the home of our partners, the @RamsNFL.

#VisitRwanda

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

VIDEO II Who says an NGO brand has to be boring?
Development communications can sometimes get lost in reports, acronyms and predictable appeals. @GiveDirectly offers a compelling alternative that includes a clear name, a bold proposition and a willingness to challenge how aid works.

Give cash directly and trust people to decide what they do with it.

Fast Company I @FastCompany included GiveDirectly among its most innovative nonprofits of 2026. The Financial Times I @FT has also explored its model within a wider shift toward philanthropy that gives recipients (the cash beneficiaries) greater decision-making power. That is business unusual. The organisation’s distinctive identity comes from how it operates and how it communicates.

In Rwanda, #AcceleratingChange is a campaign @GiveDirectlyRw (marshalled by Gloria Ngabire I @NgabireGloria) that brings that identity to life by celebrating ten years of delivering more than $150 million since 2016. It recognises recipients’ choices, the people supporting the work and the ambition to help more families build the futures they choose.

That makes it a cool campaign with substance. It gives a serious development story energy and personality while keeping recipients at its heart. In this video, celebrated social change actor and creative lead Nkusi Arthur I @ArthurNkusi of Arthur Nation I @ArthurNation_ anchors this story to wider audiences. Watch the video and learn how GiveDirectly is breaking the mould.

#AcceleratingChange
#GD10
#GiveDirectly
#BrandStrategy
#DevelopmentCommunications

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

#GD10
#AcceleratingChange

[GiveDirectly Rwanda @GiveDirectlyRw]

#GD10 #AcceleratingChange

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

Well we dug a little using google tools and these were our results!

"Based on Google Trends tracking data for global search interest as of October 14, 2026, the top 10 African countries capturing the highest global search volume are ranked below. (see image attached).

This tracking data reflects "Search Interest" measured on a relative scale from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the peak search frequency for a country during this specific weekly window."

#Top10AfricanCountries

[Timothy Kalyegira @TimKalyegira]

This list doesn't change much over the years.

Occasionally, South Africa and Morocco switch places for No. 2 and 3, and Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda switch the No. 9 and 10 places.

It made me realise that it takes more than hosting major events for the needle to move.

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

It is already happening. It is going to happen!

#FormulaOne
#F1
#AfricanMotorsport
#AfricanGrandPrix
#VisitRwanda
#SportsTourism

[The.PR.Guy @kezio_musoke]

None of the naysayers has taken the time to understand why Rwanda was the most preferred destination for the return of @F1 . There is a proven track record. To mention a few ...

▪️UCI Road World Championships
▪️ The ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy
▪️2023 FIFA Congress
▪️The Basketball Africa League(s)
▪️The 2024 FIA General Assemblies
and the FIA Awards Ceremony.

Also, a team of patriotic Rwandans works to push and position the #VisitRwanda brand, presenting the next chapter of the country’s ambition as a globally recognised hub for sport, tourism, innovation, and business.

This ambition started two decades ago. South Africans need to chill. F1 is coming, and it's going to happen, and it'll be very, very successful.

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

NEWS II VIDEO: Big day for Rwanda 🇷🇼. Big day for the continent. Big day for African Motorsport. Formula 1 officially announced from early 20239s, the African Grand Prix will join the calendar and will take place in Bugesera, Rwanda.

#Formula
#AfricanMotorsport
#AfricanGrandPrix
#VisitRwanda
#SportsTourism
#InvestInRwanda
#BusinessInsightsAfrica

via @F1 I cc @visitrwanda_now I @RwandaisOpen I @Rwanda_Sports I @gakwayac I @BrandsEnAfrique

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

VIDEO: If you were managing @AlwaysInyange's marketing budget, what results would you expect from this deal?

Inyange Industries Ltd and @bkproleague (the national soccer league - sponsored by @BankofKigali) have entered into a deal, with Inyange positioned as the league's hydration partner for the 2026/27 season. We are wondering whether the aim is to sell more drinks or simply to add another logo beside the pitch for positioning? Any water brand would be an obvious natural fit for football. BUT will the fans feel it?

The real opportunity lies in making Inyange products available on match days (and probably creating content) that keeps fans choosing Inyange long after the final whistle.

Without that kind of activation, even a strong partnership (Inyange plus BK) can become just an unnecessarily expensive branding exercise. Visibility may build awareness, but … does it prove that the sponsorship is changing what people buy?

Real question:
Are sports partnerships still driving real business results, or are brands paying for attention without proving the return?

#BrandsInRwanda
#SportsMarketing
#BrandPartnerships
#RwandanFootball
#MarketingROI

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

MEDIA BRANDS: #TheSquareRwanda I @RwandaSquare is back. The show has been back for quite sometime. Question is, "can it reclaim its influence?" Fresh faces may renew interest, but the test is editorial. Will it probe policy (as it started ages ago) or amplify official messaging (as it eventually became), loosing its disruptive grip?

For @rbarwanda I RBA’s English-speaking audience, the comeback’s value rests on the questions asked and the answers challenged. What do you think? #TheSquare #MediaAnalysis #BusinessInsightsAfrica

cc @curiousrwandan I @stmucyo

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

CAMPAIGN REVIEW II @Rwandapolice recently joined a viral trend. But did the message land? Yes, RNP posted a safety campaign using visuals inspired by STORM I & II, the GENER8ION music video featuring Yung Lean as a charismatic school bully. Its synchronised choreography has spread widely across social media, making the reference instantly recognisable. The line-up is enough to stop people scrolling.

But stopping the scroll is only the first task of communication. What the communications team at RNP may not have considered is that the original video draws much of its impact from tension, disorder and the unsettling behaviour of its characters. Those elements may work in a piece of art (for any other brand), but a national police service needs the Rwandan public to take away something different: clarity, confidence and, in a safety campaign, a reason to act.

The key question is simple. Can someone understand the safety message in three seconds, even if they don't know the trend? If not, the trend is doing more work than the message.

RNP may have been trying to appear more human, connect with young people and show greater awareness of popular culture. Public institutions do not need to sound stiff. However, there is a difference between using global popular culture to start a conversation and borrowing an aesthetic simply because it is attracting views. Reach tells us that people saw a post. On Instagram (where we picked it on Sunday), it had already attracted 21K Likes. However, it doesn't tell us whether it was fairly understood or whether it can easily change one’s behaviour. 

There is also a reputational risk. An AI-generated trending image/ video can make an institution appear playful, but it can just as easily make a serious public service look like another account chasing a meme. Humanising the police requires sustained communication, showing real officers, explaining their work, responding to public concerns and making safety advice useful in everyday life.

The creative question is not “Can we join this trend?” It is “What will this trend help the public understand?” What do you think? Was this a clever way for RNP to reach a younger audience, or did visibility outpace purpose?

#BrandStrategy
#PublicSectorCommunications
#ReputationManagement
#TrendMarketing
#RwandaNationalPolice

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

When your brand is trying to be human! We love it!

[Bank of Kigali Official @BankofKigali]

Check on your Man Utd friends, send them money with the BK Mobile App, it might Brighton their day🤣

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

Is @BankofKigali, as a brand being dragged into Rwanda’s dress-code controversy?

Rwanda’s dress-code debate has now brought @bkarenarw into a broader conversation about personal freedom, public decency, and cultural expectations.

BK Arena has issued an advisory ahead of future shows. The arena’s advisory may have been meant to clarify entry requirements, but the “BK” name is now part of the public discussion. That is the risk of naming-rights deals: brands get the attention when things go well, but they can also get caught in the backlash when controversy arises."

For Bank of Kigali, the issue may not be the dress code itself. The bigger concern is what people begin to associate with the BK brand. A financial institution that has positioned itself around youth, entertainment, and lifestyle needs to be careful about how its name appears in sensitive public debates.

And social media rarely makes these distinctions neatly. The conversation can quickly move from: “BK Arena has a dress code” to “BK is policing what women wear.”

That second interpretation is considerably more damaging to a financial-services brand whose core business is banking. Naming rights do more than create visibility. They create association, which can help or hurt a brand.

#BKArena
#RwandaDressCode
#BrandReputation
#BrandMan

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

It's a @BPRbankrw BTL brand activation.
Tag them too! 😎

[Akaliza Uwase @AkalizaUwase]

This is not the Rwanda I want my future kids to experience. I hope you all understand why this cannot/should not be tolerated in public places.
@RIB_Rw
@Rwandapolice @RNPSpokesperson
@fnamuh
@Murangira_BT
Them: Don’t police our bodies
Them : what is indecency ?
Them too 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

NEWS II BANNED IN RWANDA: Nearly 50 alcoholic brands pulled from the market. What really happened? Yesterday, the Rwanda and Drugs Authority I @RwandaFDA announced a ban on close to 50 alcoholic beverages from various countries.

Among the brands affected are Gilbey's Gin, V&A, and Bond 7, all manufactured by Uganda Breweries Limited. The announcement immediately raises several questions:

1⃣ . What prompted the ban?
2⃣ . Is this an isolated compliance issue or part of a broader regulatory crackdown?
3⃣. And what does this mean for distributors, retailers, and consumers?

The story behind this decision could have significant implications for regional trade and the East African beverage industry. If you have insights into the regulatory background or the industry implications, we would be interested to hear them.

#Rwanda
#Uganda
#AlcoholIndustry
#FoodSafety
#Regulation
#EastAfrica
#BrandManagement

[Brands-In-Rwanda @BrandsInRwanda]

QUOTABLE QUOTE II
What happens when people stop searching and start asking AI? Reuben Webb I @101Cliches (a B2B Marketing Enthusiast) puts it bluntly:

"If your brand isn't visible in AI-generated answers, you're losing influence and pipeline before you can measure it. This is the new dark funnel."

Is he right? If AI becomes the first touchpoint in the buyer journey, brands that aren't referenced may never even make the shortlist. Or are we overestimating AI's role in marketing? Where do you stand? Is AI discoverability becoming the next SEO or is it still too early?

#ArtificialIntelligence
#GenerativeAI
#MarketingStrategy
#BrandVisibility
#DigitalMarketing
#FutureOfMarketing