South Africa holds the second spot in Africa for soft power influence
Despite South Africa’s challenges in maximizing its soft power, it still secures the second position in Africa. But what exactly is soft power?
While countries such as South Africa, India, and Brazil face challenges in fully harnessing their soft power potential, South Africa still ranks second on the African continent. But what does soft power really mean?
What is soft power?
In short, soft power refers to a country’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviours of various international stakeholders, according to Business Insider Africa. Key stakeholders include states, corporations, communities, and also the general public.
Countries use soft power to influence other nations around the world through channels such as diplomacy and media. Other methods of using soft power include cultural exports, education, and also participation in humanitarian activities. By doing so, countries enhance their reputation on the international stage. Soft power influences others’ perceptions of a country through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion.
According to the British Council, researchers have found that a country’s soft power plays a major role in attracting foreign direct investment, recruiting international students, boosting tourism, and also increasing its influence on global platforms such as the UN General Assembly.
The global soft power index
The soft power index for 2024, the fifth edition of this annual index, assessed the perceptions of all 193 United Nations member states. The index is compiled by Brand Finance, an independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy. They create the list by evaluating the following eight main categories:
- business and trade,
- international relations,
- education and science,
- culture and heritage,
- governance,
- media and communication,
- sustainable future, and also
- people and values
Markedly, the US leads the global rankings with the highest score to date.
The soft power index scores the United Nations member states out of 100, according to the results
of a survey of over 170 000 respondents in more than 100 markets.
Worldwide influence: Top 10 African countries
Following are the top 10 African countries with the greatest soft power influence in the world:
1. Egypt
2. South Africa
3. Morocco
4. Algeria
5. Tunisia
6. Nigeria
7. Ghana
8. Tanzania
9. Senegal
10. Kenya
Egypt ranks 39th globally, while South Africa ranks 43rd globally.
Top five countries worldwide
Globally, the top five countries with the most influence through soft power are:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- China
- Japan
- Germany