City Branding in Global South: Examining urban strategies in African cities

By Mohamed Waheed Fareed (The Higher Institute of Engineering Alshorouk Academy Egypt) |

City branding is commonly focused on wealthy mega cities, such as Vienna, London, and Dubai, based on concepts and business models of branding theory. In contrary to such concept, this speed talk focuses on city branding in medium-sized and less known cities of Africa.This talk suggests that the urban development of cities is positively related to the use of branding strategies. This suggestion is studied among 6 African cities in different geographical locations throughout the continent: three cities in north Africa and three in sub-Saharan Africa region. Empirically, this talk focuses on branding case studies of African cities. By analyzing the development of the studied city branding over the course of time and aspects of both territorial and relational origins, situating destination branding practices within a wider sustainable development scope. Main findings suggest that local governments should align both their city branding strategies and future development goals together.