Nigerian owned companies have, for the first time, outnumbered multinationals among the country’s leading brands, with Dangote Industries Limited retaining the number one spot for a ninth consecutive year, according to the 2026 TOP 50 BRANDS NIGERIA report.
The report scored Dangote 89.7 on its Brand Strength Measurement Index, the highest the Group has recorded. MTN Nigeria followed with 81.8, ahead of Airtel Nigeria with 76.3, Globacom with 76.1 and Access Bank with 74.7. Zenith Bank, BUA Group, First Bank of Nigeria and United Bank for Africa also made the top ten.
Indigenous companies now hold 27 of the 50 positions, against 23 for multinationals, and seven of the ten leading corporate brands are Nigerian owned.
Dangote also emerged as Nigeria’s most trusted brand, the first name respondents recalled unprompted and the brand they considered most indispensable.
It drew 30.3 per cent of spontaneous first brand mentions and 22.7 per cent in the “Can’t Do Without” category.
In the oil and gas category of the Top-of-Mind survey, it ranked second with 18.2 per cent of responses.
The report linked the Group’s brand strength partly to its industrial footprint across cement, sugar, flour, fertiliser and petroleum, as well as its social investments through the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
Its petroleum refinery and petrochemicals complex, one of its biggest investments, featured prominently in the assessment.
The refinery has also expanded the Group’s presence in a sector long marked by Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined products.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Evaluator of TOP 50 BRANDS NIGERIA, Taiwo Oluboyede, described the nine-year dominance as an exceptional achievement that reflects the Group’s enduring impact, and the confidence consumers place in it.
“We hope this recognition will further inspire the Group to do even more,” he said. He added that the latest ranking marks a historic turning point for indigenous businesses.
The findings, according to the report, point to the growing importance of productive investment, market penetration and consumer confidence in shaping corporate reputation.
It noted that multinationals have traditionally enjoyed advantages in international recognition, financial resources and marketing reach, which makes the rise of locally owned enterprises significant.
Reacting to the recognition, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, credited the result to the vision, courage and commitment of the Group’s President and Chief Executive, Aliko Dangote, to Africa’s industrial development.
“What we are celebrating today is, above all, a testament to the extraordinary vision and leadership of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a man who has consistently demonstrated his belief in Nigeria and Africa’s potential through bold investments that many would ordinarily consider impossible,” he said.
He noted that from cement and fertiliser to petroleum refining and petrochemicals, Dangote has continued to challenge the limits of what African enterprise can achieve, building industries, creating jobs and reducing import dependence.
Chiejina said the assessment demonstrates the link between industrial investment and enduring public trust.
“For nine consecutive years, this recognition has reflected the confidence Nigerians place in the institutions he has built and the value they create,” he said.
He added that the Group’s expansion is also strengthening perceptions of Nigerian enterprise at home and abroad.
The report described the growing number of indigenous companies among the country’s top brands as a sign of domestic entrepreneurial capacity and competitiveness.
It also highlighted the role of successful Nigerian businesses in lifting the country’s international reputation through investment, job creation and the development of competitive enterprises.
