11 African countries make the list of the world's best countries
BAV Consulting, a branding consultancy and a subsidiary of global advertising agency Young & Rubicam, has released a list of the 80 best countries in the world, based on a comprehensive study conducted in collaboration with media entity US News & World Report and the Wharton School. 11 African countries have made the list, including Algeria, which occupied the very bottom spot of the 80.
Having completed 25 years in operation, BAV Consulting is a New-York-based firm specialising in branding and empirical market research. In terms of services, the firm assists brands with their positioning in the market and helps drive their image, based on its four principal metrics; differentiation, relevance, esteem, and knowledge.
The firm’s research is highly credible, usually conducted in partnership with recognised academic institutions, including Columbia, MIT and the University of Washington. In its latest study, carried out in collaboration with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a prominent media agency, the firm has released a list of the 80 best countries in the world.
In order to draw these sweeping conclusions, the firm made assessments based on a variety of criteria, including a country’s suitability for: adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, openness for business, power, and quality of life. Based on these metrics, which had many further subdivisions, Switzerland emerged as the best country in the world, followed by Canada, Germany, the UK and Japan.
Africa had noticeable representation on the list, although overwhelmingly in the bottom half. The continent has a mixed outlook at the moment; from weak passports to strong tourism, from poor infrastructure to an extremely strong banking sector, and from rapid increase in digital access to relatively slow growth in digital activity.
A veritable mixed bag of countries, and South Africa would appear to be the best of the lot, placing the highest on BAV’s list in 39th with an overall score of 2.3 out of 10. The highest score for South Africa, of 4.9, came in the ‘movers’ category, which indicates the uniqueness and dynamism of a country. The country also fared well in the ‘adventure’ category, scoring a 3.8, which signifies how ‘fun, scenic, pleasant, friendly, and sexy’ it is.
Egypt was the second highest African country on the list, in 42nd place, with an overall score of 2.2. The country performed exceptionally well in the ‘movers’ category with a score of 8, and did well in terms of ‘heritage’ as well with 6.2, driven by Egypt’s rich history and numerous attractions.
Five places down in 47th is Morocco with a score of 1.9. The highest score achieved by the North African country was also in its heritage, scoring 5.6. Kenya, with a score of 1.1, is in fourth place for Africa, and 57th place globally, scoring the most (4.8) in the ‘open for business’ category, which describes the level of corruption, tax environment, transparency and cost-effectiveness of a country’s business environment.
Intuitively, the top five African countries on the list all feature amongst the ten richest countries on the continent in terms of GDP. Tanzania is the first country outside of the top five, in 62nd place globally with a score of 0.9, scoring a 4.4 in the ‘open for business’ category; the highest score for the country across the board.
Tunisia comes in just three spots down in 65th across the globe, representing the 7th highest African country with a score of 0.7. The country’s presence on the list is aided by its position as the most food-secure country in Africa, although openness for business is the attribute that it was most recognised for with a score of 4.3.
Bringing up the rear, Ghana ranks 71st across the world with a score of 0.4, and an ‘open for business’ score of 4. Nigeria, which represents the largest population as well as the largest GDP on the continent, ranks in 76th across the world, with an overall score of 0.2 and a high of 3.8 in the ‘open for business’ category.
Angola and Algeria represent the last two countries, not only on the African list but on the global list as well, in 79th and 80th places respectively, with scores of 0.2 and 0. Nevertheless, both countries fared relatively well with respect to openness for business, scoring 3.9 and 3.5 respectively.