Ethiopian national team boss Webetu Abate has to field a U-23 team in Cecafa Senior challenge cup to be held in Bahirdar International stadium in three weeks’ time. Wubetu named a 35 strong provisional squad plus five senior players including Ethiopian Premier League top scorer and Best Player of the Year Abubaker Naser.
Following the decision reached in Cecafa meeting held on 11th March 2021 in Morocco, teams are expected to field the U23 players for this tournament. Chopping down eight and adding two from Super League sides Ethio-Electric and Medin, Wubetu kicked-off an intensive preparation at Youth Academy before travelling to Bahirdar in the coming days.
Though the collection brings together players from 14 teams, Sidama Bunna and Sebeta Ketema each contributed four players while runner-up Ethiopia Bunna, champions Fasil ketema, Wolayta Dicha and relegated Abajifar threw in three players each.
Goalkeeper Mentsenot Allo of Sebeta, Remedan Yusuf of Wolkite, Habtamu Tkeste of Fasil, Amanuel G/Michael of St George and Abubeker Naser are the five senior players added to the squad and expected to join the team next week.
Hosts Ethiopia will be joined by perennial participants Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Zanzibar and the guests DRC as the countries that will duly take part in the championship.
This is the fifth time Ethiopia staged one of the oldest Cups in the world founded in 1926. Ethiopia won the title four times while defending champion Uganda is leading by far taking a record 15 championship titles while Kenya has been crowned ten times.
National boss Wubetu Abate named U-23 Cecafa preliminary squad
Co-Branding as a tool to boost brand image
By Aschalew Tamiru
I am writing articles on various branding issues on the renowned weekly Capital newspaper. Misconception about Branding, Basics to Successful Branding, Why Do Brands Matter, Can anything be Branded, How to Organize your Brands, Which Type of Logo Fits your business How to Organize your Brands and Why to Consider Rebranding? are among others.
This article is exploring the idea of co-branding and try to show the factors that companies need to consider if they want to generate a beneficial public response for each partnering company involved in the co-branding.
Co-branding is a form of partnership, where two or more companies or brands share their brand names, logos, etc., on one project or one product. Co-branding presents one or more offers, using the combined resources and marketing power of two or more brands to sell.
It is the utilization of two or more brands to name a new product. The partnered brands help each other to achieve their aims. This can be of the same company or from two distinct companies. The main brands of the new brand help each other in achieving the purpose of the newly created brand, co-branded. Co-branding tends to create an overall marketing synergy by creating a larger customer base which combines the existing customer base of the brand pairs,
highlighting the best features of every brand. In other words, when two or more brands join hands with the objective of increasing the market share by producing the joint product or service and carrying the marketing activities jointly is termed as Co-Branding. Thus, two or more companies come together to capitalize on the brand image of each and offer a product jointly with the intention to boost sales by attracting the individual customers of both.
In partnership with Queens and Home Depot supermarkets, Dashen bank has launched a co-branded gift and purchasing card. This card is beneficial to customers who want to make their purchase at all branches of queens and Home depo supermarket and it can also be transferred to third parties as a gift so that the holder of the card can make purchase from the aforementioned supermarkets.
Most branding scholars mention the following four types of co-branding types as the widely applying co-branding strategies. 
- Ingredient Co- Branding- In Ingredient Co-Branding, the well-known brand is used as a component in the production of another renowned brand. This type of Co-Branding is done with existing suppliers or large buyers. Ingredient co-branding makes use of a popular brand to serve as an important element in the production process of the other popular brand. This basically deals with the development of brand equity (the worth of a brand) for those parts and materials that are included in other products. The underlying constituent brand is a subsidiary to that of the primary brand. For example, Dell computers utilize a co-branding strategy with Intel processors.
Ingredient brands are normally the biggest buyers or current suppliers of the company. Through this type of branding, the company can produce products of better quality gain more access to distribution channels, implement superior promotional activities and real greater profits. This is also widely applied in automobile manufacturing industries; the automobile manufacturing companies make partnership with various suppliers of automobile components. 
Promotional/ Sponsorship/ Co-Branding– This type of Co-Branding is common and very much seen in Entertainment Industry and Sports leagues where renowned brands sponsor the film award functions, sports, social events, etc. with the objective of creating the brand image. Vodafone (one of the renowned telecom operator, which is also among the winners of the bid to operate in Ethiopia), Honda, Citi Bank are the official sponsors of Indian Premier league; where as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Heineken, Volkswagen are the sponsors of Euro 2020 football cup which is happening now.
Value Chain Co- Branding-Product Service Co-Branding– the co-branding partnership that has been made between the Ethiopian Airlines and Hibret Bank is a good example for value chain co-branding particularly called product service type. The Ethiopian Airlines and Hibret Bank have come up with a co-branded debit card which is tailored to provide Ethiopian Sheba Miles members with bonus miles for their spending using the debit card.
Through co-branding partnership, MasterCard and Apple have been working together in making transactions cashless. MasterCard company supported Apple Pay. This provided Apple with a generous customer base along with changing its service along with providing MasterCard brand new feature and function which was exclusive to its customers. The co-branding move of the companies contribute to boost their brand value and come at the front in the list of high brand value companies announced by the renowned forbs business magazine every year.
Innovation Based Co-Branding-Nike and Apple have come together and formed co-branding agreement through innovation. Nike determined that their customers who are runners like to listen to music when they exercise or want to track their progress. This led the company to form a partnership with Apple so that customers can do both. Nike also produced footwear under the title Nike and Apple manufactured a chip that is fitted within the shoes for recording the progress of the user when it is activated on their iPhone or iPod. This microchip displays user statistics like time, distance and speed along with the number of calories burned.
Branding scholars acclaim that if Co-Branding is executed carefully it can bring the following benefits to the companies:
- New sources of finance will be available.
- Generation of royalty income.
- Risk sharing capacity will increase.
- More income can be generated because of increased customer base.
- Customer trust can be gained through its prior experience with any one of the brand.
- Wider scope because of joint advertising.
- Technological benefits.
Better image of the product through the association with other renowned brands.
According to branding scholars, Co-Branding can result into a failure if:
- Brands are different and cater different market segments with the entirely different product range.
- If the vision, values, and ethics of the brands are different, the partnership may fail in future.
- Seeking an alliance with wrong brands will not provide customer value and will be unable to meet their expectations which will result in product failure.
- The customer had a bad experience with any one of the brand it will have a negative impact on the other.
- Lots of liabilities on one brand will impose pressure on the co-brand.
- Any one brand files bankruptcy the image of other will also get adversely affected.
Various articles and books written on branding are used as references.
Aschalew Tamiru was a full time lecturer at various universities, currently he is working with Dashen Bank, as Marketing and Customer Experience Director.
Aschalew holds MA in Marketing Management from Addis Ababa University. He is a writer of Make a Difference with Customer Service Book and a certified Management Consultant. He can be reached by aschalewt21@gmail.com.
How Anna Papadopoulos And Welella Negussie Are Empowering Ethiopian Weavers Through Sustainable Slow Fashion With Their Social Enterprise Welana
It’s no secret that social enterprises have uplifted and impacted communities around the world since the concept was birthed out of the UK some forty years ago. Social enterprises like Welana have key social objectives in fashion that serve the primary purpose of offering handmade scarves, towels and blankets from skilled weavers in Ethiopia. Because of Welana, local communities are empowered in the eastern African nation by providing craftswomen and craftsmen a platform to showcase their creations, creations that normally wouldn’t get seen by consumers and potential clientele around the world.
Started by Berlin locals and childhood friends Anna Papadopoulos and Welella Negussie, both knew they wanted to positively impact the world but didn’t know exactly how. “We both grew up in Berlin with the Ethiopian culture through Welella’s family, who introduced us to the country’s food and the beautiful textiles. We have always loved the cozy cotton blankets and shawls,” shares Papadopoulos.
But a trip to Wenchi Crater Lake near Addis Ababa, cemented their future initiative that it would be Ethiopia that they would help impact the world through fashion accessories. “It was our joint journey to Ethiopia that sparked our interest in starting a social business that would impact local communities,” continues Papadopoulos. “We were taken aback by the beauty of Ethiopia and her people and were fascinated by the great potential of this East African country. And so, we thought, if the world only knew about what this beautiful country has to offer. It was there and then that we decided to build a brand that would uplift Ethiopian communities. Through our families and friends in Germany we had already received great feedback on our shawls and blankets that we brought back from our travels. The dedication of the weavers in Ethiopia and the appreciation for this ancient weaving techniques in Europe and beyond led us to our path of establishing a brand and platform that connects this unique craftsmanship and the artists behind it to people in other parts of the world.”
Negussie points out the impact social enterprise fashion companies like Welana has on making the world smaller by introducing Ethiopian handmade products to Western markets. “We love that our customers get to experience a piece of Ethiopia through our products and we also hope that through Welana we can spark an interest to learn more about the history and culture of this country. It is very important for us to reflect back to our local partners how much joy and happiness the textiles bring to our customers. When we share appreciation notes and pictures of Welana worn around the world with our local partners, they are in awe to see how far their handmade textiles have traveled.”
American actress Yara Shahidi and her mom Keri are fans of the enterprise, as they are often seen wearing the products. “We invest in Welana because Welana has invested in communities,” says Keri. “To wear a piece of global art, whose quality is rivaled by no scarf my family has worn before, allows us to carry forward the importance of global community.”
How it works
The products that the skilled craftsmen and women make, provide sustainable income development and global visibility, as well as ethical production methods. So how do Papadopoulos and Negussie make this happen? They provide a global platform to showcase products from scarves, towels and blankets. They contribute sustainable income development for their local partners and weavers. Reused and recycled textiles make for products that are safe on the environment, as well as promotes slow fashion of products that can we worn over many years if not a lifetime. Also, the duo social enterprisers work on principles of dignified treatment for employees, ensuring that their weavers receive fair payment and social benefits like pensions, paid vacation, maternity leave and medical coverage. And they also partner with investors who share the same values and want to invest in their enterprise.
Their local partners Sabahar and Maraki in Ethiopia keep Welana working in Ethiopia. And Papadopoulos notes how through Maraki, Ethopian weavers are being empowered with the products they make. “Maraki predominantly works with women from the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, supporting their development and empowering them through capacity building and through a sustainable income,” she notes. “The cotton is locally sourced, which also has a positive impact on the communities. Through the partnership, the women are given the chance to promote their high-quality Ethiopian handmade textiles to international markets. We refer tourists and other interested people to the local production sites if they are interested in purchasing the textiles directly in Ethiopia from our weavers. While local markets in Ethiopia were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, through our cooperation we were able to contribute to income stability for the artisans.”
It is their friends and customers around the world, ambassadors of Welana that make the social enterprise possible. “We are a small brand and Welana has been able to grow organically through our ambassadors spreading the word,” muses Negussie.
(Forbes)
Decision made to withdraw Africa Travel Week’s connect in the city live event in Cape Town
Africa Travel Week has taken the decision not to go ahead with its planned Connect in the City Live Event in Cape Town in September.
Exclusive to ATW virtual exhibitors and a selection of hosted buyers, the live event in Cape Town would have brought stakeholders and media together for an on-the-ground taste of the best the Mother City had to offer, including familiarisation tours and a dedicated conference.
“It was an extremely difficult decision, but one that we felt had to be made sooner rather than later so that we minimised any inconvenience to participants,” says Megan Oberholzer, Reed Exhibitions South Africa Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries.
“There really is nothing we had hoped for more than to host this live event, however with the environment remaining fluid, the ongoing third COVID wave and the uncertainty as to when South Africa will be removed from ‘red lists’ and travel advisories around the world, we believe that making a decisive decision now will be in the best interests of our guests,” Oberholzer adds.
The City of Cape Town says it hopes to soon be able to host important international events again. “As the City of Cape Town we were looking forward to welcoming international buyers and media to our shores for this crucial live event which would have contributed towards reviving the tourism sector, which has been heavily impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work with national and the provincial government to put measures in place to ensure that we can soon host these important international events in a much safer environment,” says Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
Africa Travel Week confirms that it will go ahead with hosting its series of virtual masterclasses and events, including a China Market Outlook, How the Pandemic has changed our priorities in terms of Animal Welfare and Tourism; and Marketing, influencers and blogging – what is worth it?
While the gala African Travel & Tourism Awards event, that was programmed for Connect in the City Live will no longer be held, entries for Africa Travel Week’s Reigniting Africa Award remain open until end June for COVID-19 campaigns that focus on reigniting travel.
“This is an incredible opportunity for any Destination Marketing Company, Tourism Board, Marketing, public relation, communication, advertising and branding firm, Start-up, and Brand and Digital experts to showcase their inspirational campaigns that sought to reignite travel during COVID. Similarly, if you admire a campaign you feel fits the profile, encourage its organisers to submit their entry before the new deadline,” says Oberholzer.
If you missed the bumper content programme during Africa Travel Week in April, Africa Travel Week has the full content line up of over 40 panel discussions featuring 170 international and Africa speakers on tourism related trends in Africa and beyond.
Attendees and industry professionals may also remain connected and informed throughout 2021, ATW’s dedicated resource hub jam-packed with free digital tools, industry news and updates.
“We will use the time wisely to prepare for Africa Travel Week from April 11 to 13 2022 and are looking forward to bringing together buyers and exhibitors at a live event in Cape Town to unlock Africa and make travel happen again,” Oberholzer concludes.
