For many professionals in Africa, as is everywhere else in the world, career advancement is a crucial component of selecting a company to work for. Highly sought-after companies are those that offer clear career paths and have a history of internal upgrades. Companies must offer security, enticing incentive packages, and consideration for staff wellbeing to attract the most skillful experts.
Companies that support the growth of their employees are often the most appealing to work for. Other factors also come into play when professionals on the continent wish to offer their services.
For instance, work culture has become a huge part of the incentives companies offer their potential employees. Companies which foster inclusive environments and promote diversity are more desirable.
Furthermore, companies that encourage innovation, allow open communication, and create a dynamic work atmosphere in which workers feel appreciated and heard are more likely to recruit top talent.
And ofcourse it is virtually impossible to gloss over the fact that the workforce would favor a company that offers flexibility. In a heavily digitized era, many professionals are looking for remote or hybrid work.
Perhaps these reasons constitute reasons why Africans are interested in foreign organizations particularly those related to human development.
According to a report by Switch on Business, a business consultancy firm, the most desired companies in Africa are those related to the United Nations.
“Thirteen African countries can count the United Nations or one of its agencies — UNHCR, Unicef, or the World Food Programme – as their most desirable workplace. Africa is a key point of focus for the UN, which attempts to work closely with locals in order to help Africa help itself. In fact, of 125,436 global employees, 44,276 (35.3%) of UN’s staff work in Africa,” the report reads.
There are also indigenous companies that are highly sought after, like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, however, many Africans desire foreign firms. With that said, here are the top most desired companies by volume.
PS: The list which was last updated by Switch on Business on the 24th of April, 2024, remains largely the same as the list last year, with changes in Emirates, and Qatar Airways.
Most desired companies in Africa 2024 by volume
| Rank | Company | Number of Google inquiry | Countries searching |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Capitec Bank | 25,000 | South Africa |
| 2. | Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) | 15,000 | Kenya |
| 3. | Qatar Airways | 4,750 | Algeria, Morocco, Seychelles, Uganda, Zimbabwe |
| 4. | Commercial International Bank (CIB) | 3,900 | Egypt |
| 5. | First Quantum Minerals | 3,500 | Zambia |
| 6. | United Nations | 2,450 | Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia |
| 7. | Emirates | 2,200 | Ethiopia, Tunisia |
| 8. | Debswana | 1,900 | Botswana |
| 9. | Newmont | 1,800 | Ghana |
| 10. | Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) | 1,700 | Nigeria |
Methodology
In order to identify which company each country most wants to work for, Switch on Business examined Ahrefs’ “Keyword Explorer” statistics on Google keyword search volume for job possibilities at various companies in each country. They gathered data on search volumes for all organizations auto-suggested by Ahrefs’ “keyword ideas” section when prompted by the search phrase “careers” in each nation. Companies received ratings inside each nation based on the monthly Google search traffic for each firm name combined with the phrase “careers.”
