Across Africa and the Middle East, a distinctive energy is becoming visible — not loud, but assured. Places are taking ownership of their narratives, drawing on heritage while pushing into new terrain with clarity and purpose. It felt timely to capture that momentum, which is why our very first Special Edition of The Place Brand Observer focuses entirely on these two regions.
Launching this new format with Africa and the Middle East felt natural. Both are rich with stories that deserve more nuanced attention. What emerges in this edition is a fuller picture: places strengthening identity through design and policy, regions building capability from within, and leaders shaping how their communities are understood at home and abroad. What connects them is not a single model but intention — the steady resolve that underpins meaningful progress.
This inaugural edition opens with three forewords that frame the conversation. His Excellency Eng. Fahad Albuliheshi, Mayor of Madinah Region and CEO of the Madinah Region Development Authority, reflects on the city’s evolving urban identity. Savio D’Souza of Brand Finance highlights the role of measurement in guiding reputation. And Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder of Brand Africa, offers a continent-wide perspective on visibility and agency. Taken together, they set the tone for a publication that is both grounded and forward-facing.
The main body of this first Special Edition is divided into two parts — Africa and the Middle East — each presenting a diverse collection of Places to Watch. Together, they form a broad and textured landscape: from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania and Zanzibar to Senegal, Benin, The Gambia, Casablanca, Kavango Zambezi, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Lusaka.
The Middle East section continues this momentum with Al Madinah, North Khobar, Bahrain, and Doha — places balancing heritage and modernisation in distinct ways.
What emerges across these stories is a rich mix of trajectories: large-scale, cross-border tourism initiatives; national identity programmes rooted in policy and strategy; and placemaking or urban renewal efforts that work street-by-street to improve the lived experience.
Some places are drawing strength from cultural assets, others are reshaping governance and infrastructure, and many are doing both with increasing sophistication. The common thread is purpose — a sense of direction grounded in local identity yet aware of a wider global conversation.
This first edition also introduces a set of People to Watch, eight individuals whose work reflects the breadth of leadership emerging across both regions. Their perspectives extend well beyond the printed page. Readers will be able to explore fuller conversations with Abdulrhman Alsayel, Hicham Echattabi, Jibril Salifu, Michaëlla Rugwizangoga, Pumela Salela, Salma Ghanem, Sara Seif Ibrahim, and Yasmine Alaoui through their interviews right here, on placebrandobserver.com — each offering its own window into the strategies, motivations, and lived experiences guiding their contributions to place leadership.
Several of the featured places continue their stories online. Al Madinah is accompanied by an extended digital showcase that brings additional texture to its evolving brand narrative.
South Africa has a dedicated online feature exploring its approach to nation branding in greater depth. And both Namibia and North Khobar are presented alongside behind-the-scenes interviews that reveal the thinking, partnerships, and practical considerations shaping their entries in this first edition.
Together, these expanded pieces encourage readers to move beyond the publication itself and engage more closely with the people shaping these places — a reminder that strong place narratives are always works in progress, built through dialogue as much as strategy.
With this first Special Edition now live, I invite you to explore it through this link.
Coming up, Nafisa — Associate Editor and Project Lead for this edition — will share her reflections on assembling this publication: the conversations behind it, the decisions that shaped it, and the insights drawn from working closely with practitioners across both regions.
Over the coming months, we will also share selected stories and additional material through our LinkedIn page, offering more ways to follow the conversations behind this edition. These pieces will provide a closer look at the people shaping each initiative, the decisions guiding their work and the opportunities emerging from the places featured.
You can reach me at florian@placebrandobserver.com. I welcome your thoughts.
