Nigeria bans foreign talents from Ad campaigns; becomes the first country to do so according to TravelNoire.
The decision comes along with the government’s efforts to develop local talent and build the country’s economic growth.
Come October 1st, companies in Nigeria will only be permitted to source local Nigerian talent for marketing campaigns and entertainment gigs such as acting, modelling, voice overs, and more,as stated by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria.
Current advertising campaigns involving foreigners are allowed to proceed, but moving forward there will be no new permits for ads consisting of talents foreign to Nigeria.
Prior to the ban, companies had to pay nearly $240 tariff for every foreign model used in an advert, making Nigeria one of the world’s most uncompromising environments on media representation.
Steve Babaeko, president of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, told The Times: “Ten to twenty years ago if you checked the commercials, I would say they were almost 50/50 in terms of foreign faces and all the voiceovers were British accents.” He added that these new regulations are finally “catching up” with the sentiments of Nigeria’s people. “People will tell you, ‘There are about 200 million of us. Are you telling me you could not find indigenous models for this commercial?’” stated Babaeko.
Bolanle Olukanni, a Nigerian TV host adds that it’s also about the competitive nature of the African nations. Since a majority of the ads in Africa are shot in South Africa and Kenya. Ad agencies in Nigeria will now have to develop their advertisements locally.
ARCON head Olalekan Fadolapo also defended the regulation by saying that “advertising should resonate with the people.” Fadolapo stated, “How do you think it will resonate if we keep using foreign artists?” adding that other African countries have imposed bans on foreign models before but never has it been made into a regulation until now.
