By Dounia Ben Mohamed, CEO ANA
Africa is full of wealth, innovation, and talent. Yet its products still struggle to find their place in Western markets, hampered by an invisible but powerful barrier: persistent negative perceptions. This is highlighted in a recent report by Africa No Filter, based on a study conducted between 2023 and 2025 with over a thousand consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Persistent clichés limit demand
When the word “Africa” is mentioned, the majority of respondents spontaneously associate the continent with stereotypes or negative imagery. Over 40% of responses reflect clichés, and 75% include at least one derogatory element — a stark contrast with Europe, where this figure is only 13%. These fixed perceptions directly influence purchasing behavior: there is strong reluctance to consume African products, especially in technology, software, medicine, or electronics sectors. Even cultural goods like music and cinema struggle to generate genuine enthusiasm.
This distrust stems from a lack of positive economic projection. Africa is mostly seen through lenses linked to wilderness, deserts, or climate rather than as a territory of innovation and industrial production. This image undermines the credibility of African products for export and creates a “prejudice premium” estimated at $4.2 billion annually on servicing African debt, fueled by media narratives focused on poverty, conflict, and corruption.
Towards collective commitment and narrative change
The study shows that ideas associating Africa with poverty or instability harm willingness to buy its products. Conversely, positive references to culture or tourism increase interest. More importantly, exposure to empowering and positive stories genuinely changes purchasing intentions, while simply denying clichés is insufficient to change mindsets.
Faced with this reality, the report’s authors call for a communications revolution around Africa. The goal is to create new, strong, and positive representations rather than vainly trying to deconstruct old ones. The African Development Bank’s President, Akinwumi Adesina, recently emphasized the importance of coordinated mobilization to promote a balanced image of the continent, highlighting its successes, innovations, and opportunities.
Lasting change in Africa’s perception requires structural commitment involving states, companies, financial institutions, cultural actors… and media!
Africa News Agency: A key player in the Pan-African media transformation
Fully embracing its responsibility, Africa News Agency (ANA) plays a pivotal role in supporting its media partners as they showcase an Africa in transformation. Building on ten years of experience, ANA is proud to announce ANA 2026: Shaping the Future of Pan-African Media, to be held on January 23–24, 2026 in Kigali.
The celebration of ANA’s tenth anniversary, held on January 10, 2025 in Kigali, was a groundbreaking event—the first of its kind in Africa—dedicated to the future of Pan-African media. It successfully brought together journalists, media leaders, entrepreneurs, institutional partners, and civil society representatives.
Encouraged by this success, ANA is taking the experience further: not only as a space for dialogue and reflection, but as a concrete commitment to strengthening the Pan-African media ecosystem, through the launch of a dedicated Fund for training and capacity building in media professions.
More than a forum for ideas, ANA 2026 will be a founding milestone for the Pan-African media ecosystem. An initiative bringing together media, institutions, entrepreneurs, civil society actors, and international partners.
Register now: ANA 2026: Shaping the Future of Pan-African Media
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