CBE’s Aborted Logo Overhaul: Branding Missteps, Public Sentiment, and Questions of Governance











The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) — the nation’s largest and oldest bank — recently halted a highly publicized and costly rebranding initiative after senior federal government officials criticized the proposed new logo for lacking creativity, Ethiopian identity, and Amharic representation. The cancellation, announced at the eleventh hour, has reignited debates about branding strategy, public accountability, and financial stewardship in state-owned enterprises.

The Facts: A Half-Billion Birr Halt

According to The Reporter, CBE’s rebranding process consumed close to 600 million birr, encompassing design work, digital platform modifications, and planned replacements of signage, letterheads, staff IDs, and branding materials across its more than 1,900 branches. The new design — a minimalist black “CBE” in a disconnected, sleek font, accompanied by the motto “always reliable” — was set to replace the bank’s iconic golden spiral emblem, unchanged for over half a century. A massive replica had already been installed on the bank’s 46-story headquarters in Addis Ababa.

However, just days before the official unveiling, senior federal government officials intervened after learning that the logo omitted Amharic text. Critics within and outside the bank also called the design “boring” and lacking distinct Ethiopian identity.

Why Logos Matter — And Why This Change Was Risky

In branding, a logo is more than a decorative mark; it is the distilled essence of an organization’s identity, values, and customer perception. A well-established logo operates on both a visual and psychological level, triggering memories, emotions, and associations built over years or decades.

CBE’s golden spiral logo is not merely a graphic; it symbolizes trust, national pride, and the bank’s long-standing presence in Ethiopian life. For many customers, it is tied to personal experiences — from receiving a first paycheck to securing a loan — as well as to broader national economic history.

Marketing and branding experts caution that replacing such a deeply ingrained symbol is a high-risk move. Successful rebrands are typically justified by transformative changes in a company’s direction, market, or reputation. In CBE’s case, no such major shift was publicly communicated. Instead, the redesign appeared motivated by aesthetic modernization and competitive mimicry, rather than a strategic repositioning.

Hawelet Ahmed’s View: When Change is Justified — and When It Isn’t

Branding commentator Hawelet Ahmed underscores that a logo’s primary purpose is to be a unique symbol — an instant identifier that anchors an institution in the public’s memory. She points to two notable Ethiopian examples where logo changes were arguably justified:

Nib Bank — Originally featuring a bee symbol, the bank changed its logo after concerns it too closely resembled the EPRDF’s election emblem. In branding, avoiding visual confusion with politically charged symbols or other institutions can be a valid reason for change.

Ethio Telecom — Formerly the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation, its logo once featured a crowned lion, later simplified to a lion without a crown. Under French management, the lion was dropped entirely in favor of a new brand identity, partly because other institutions also used lion imagery. Here too, the need for a distinctive identity justified the change despite initial controversy.

In contrast, CBE’s golden spiral logo is already entirely unique, deeply embedded in public memory, and not in conflict with other symbols. As Hawelet asks: Is there a sufficient reason to change a logo that is “completely unique and unlike anyone else,” when it already fulfills its role perfectly?

She notes that some logos stand the test of centuries — the world’s oldest logo is over 650 years old, and Shell’s has endured for 120 years. “Some things don’t necessarily have to change,” she writes. In her view, instead of altering a flawless emblem, CBE would be better served by investing in service quality, technological upgrades, and customer experience.

Million Ayelech’s Perspective: Identity Crisis, Not Necessity

Branding analyst Million Ayelech adds that CBE has already changed its logo three times since its inception, with each update making it more adaptable to digital formats. The current design, in his view, “simply describes CBE” and is both realistic and convincing.

He outlines several legitimate reasons why an organization might change its logo:

If the logo is too similar to that of another organization, creating confusion.

If the logo carries cultural sensitivities or negative connotations within the community.

These are compelling grounds for rebranding. However, he stresses that none of these apply to the CBE’s current emblem. Instead, he argues the bank’s decision seems driven by an “identity crisis” rather than strategic necessity. In his assessment, CBE’s trust and loyalty have already been eroding over time due to service-related and governance issues, and a logo change would not fix those underlying problems.

Public Sentiment and Cultural Resonance

The omission of Amharic from the proposed design proved a fatal flaw. In a multilingual nation where language is intertwined with identity and politics, removing a major linguistic symbol from a flagship national brand risked alienating the public and undermining cultural resonance.

Brand identity in Ethiopia cannot be divorced from national symbolism. Ethiopian Airlines, for example, has retained Amharic and national colors in its branding while modernizing its look, reinforcing both international professionalism and local pride. CBE’s proposed logo, by contrast, seemed designed for a generic global market, potentially at the cost of its domestic emotional anchor.

The Financial Question

The 600 million birr price tag has been as controversial as the design itself. While large-scale rebrands are expensive — covering design, signage, software, and marketing — the figure is extraordinary in Ethiopia’s economic context. Critics question whether such an expenditure was prudent, especially for a state-owned bank amid rising inflation, forex shortages, and other operational challenges.

A design consultant told The Reporter the work was “amateur” despite the cost, suggesting possible procurement inefficiencies or inflated contracting. Allegations from unnamed sources link the project to deeper mismanagement and even embezzlement schemes within the bank, though such claims remain unproven.

Governance and Transparency in State-Owned Enterprises

The incident highlights structural weaknesses in how major branding and procurement decisions are made within Ethiopian state-owned enterprises (SOEs). That senior federal officials only learned of the logo days before its launch suggests a lack of high-level oversight and stakeholder engagement during the project’s development.

Effective rebranding — particularly for public institutions — requires early consultation with key stakeholders, market testing, and cultural vetting. In CBE’s case, the process appears to have been driven internally with limited transparency, only to be derailed at the final stage by political intervention.

This top-down halting of the project also raises questions: Should branding decisions for SOEs be politically approved? How can public enterprises balance creative autonomy with national cultural representation? And most importantly, how can governance frameworks ensure both fiscal responsibility and brand integrity?

Lessons for Ethiopian Institutions

Strategic Justification is Key – Rebranding should be grounded in clear strategic goals, such as market repositioning or reputation repair, not just aesthetic updates.

Cultural Anchoring Matters – In Ethiopia’s context, national symbols, languages, and cultural cues are not optional design elements; they are integral to brand legitimacy.

Stakeholder Engagement Prevents Costly Missteps – Early involvement of customers, employees, and regulators can identify potential backlash before millions are spent.

Financial Oversight Must Be Stronger – Large public expenditures on branding should be subject to transparent procurement, cost-benefit analysis, and external auditing.

Change Management is Crucial – Any brand evolution should be phased, with customer communication that frames the change as part of a broader narrative of progress.

Beyond the Logo

The aborted logo saga is not just about design. It is a case study in the intersection of branding, politics, and public trust. While the visual mark of CBE may remain unchanged for now, the episode underscores that in Ethiopia — as in many countries — a logo is not simply what a company says it is. It is what the people feel it is, and what the public believes it represents about their shared history and identity.

In the end, the greatest damage to CBE may not be the wasted millions, but the erosion of confidence in its decision-making processes. Rebuilding that trust will require more than a logo — it will require transparency, cultural sensitivity, and genuine engagement with the people whose trust the bank’s brand was built to serve.