Nigeria becomes first country to ban white models in adverts | World

White models and voiceovers in British accents were once ubiquitous in Nigerian adverts. Not any more.

As part of a “policy of developing local talent”, the country’s advertising regulator has announced a complete ban on the use of foreign models and voiceover artists from October.

The ban would cover all non-Nigerians and will put paid to the numbers of western, white actors who have appeared regularly on the country’s television adverts.

Even before the ban was announced companies had to pay a 100,000-Naira (about $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