Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Esther FOSSI
Published on 2024-03-01 10:20:03
According to the latest edition of the Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, a brand valuation consulting firm, Cameroon ranks as the 110th most influential country in the world out of 193 classified States and the 15th in Africa.
Brand Finance released the Global Soft Power Index based on a survey of over 170,000 people in more than 100 countries to gather data on the global perceptions of the 193 United Nations member states.
The report reveals that in a time of uncertainty and global instability, economic references increasingly contribute to a nation’s soft power. National brand attributes, such as a “strong and stable economy” and “products and brands that the world loves,” emerge as key factors of influence and reputation on the global stage.
This trend explains the continued dominance of the largest global economies such as the United States and China, as well as smaller developed economies like Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, at the top of the rankings. Dominant national brands experience faster growth in soft power (an average of +3.1 points in the top 50) compared to the rest of the rankings (an average of -1.3 for those ranked between 51 and 193).
In the CEMAC zone, with a score of 33.2 out of 100 points, the Central African country dropped a spot in the global ranking compared to the previous year, where it held the 109th position with a score of 34.4. This decline is attributed to high levels of poverty and economic inequality, security problems, high crime rates, and structural constraints like energy shortages, among others.
Nonetheless, Cameroon remains the most influential country in the CEMAC region on the global stage. The country ranks ahead of the Central African Republic (119th), Congo (146th), Equatorial Guinea (159th), Gabon (168th), and Chad (176th). On the continental level, the most influential African countries are Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco. Globally, the United States retains its position as the global leader in soft power.
The top 20 African soft powers are as follows:
1. Egypt 39th globally (dropped 1 spot)
2. South Africa 43rd globally (dropped 3 spots)
3. Morocco 50th globally (gained 5 spots)
4. Algeria 73rd globally (gained 13 spots)
5. Tunisia 77th globally (gained 6 spots)
6. Nigeria 79th globally (gained 14 spots)
7. Ghana 85th globally (gained 7 spots)
8. Tanzania 93rd globally (gained 5 spots)
9. Senegal 94th globally (gained 9 spots)
10. Kenya 95th globally (gained 5 spots)
11. Mauritius 97th globally (lost 30 spots)
12. Madagascar 103rd globally (lost one spot)
13. Rwanda 104th globally (lost 19 spots)
14. Côte d’Ivoire 108th globally (lost 21 spots)
15. Cameroon 110th globally (lost one spot)
16. Zambia 113th globally (lost 1 spot)
17. DRC 114th globally (lost 7 spots)
18. Ethiopia 115th globally (lost 5 spots)
19. Angola 116th globally (lost 5 spots)
20. Central African Republic (Ranked for the first time)
Soft power is defined as a nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors on the international stage (States, companies, communities, audiences, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion. Each nation is rated according to 55 different criteria to arrive at an overall score out of 100 and ranked from 1st to 193rd.
Read the original article(French) on Journal du Cameroun
