Nigeria’s Advertising Regulatory Council Bans Foreign Models and Voiceovers

Nigeria has moved to ban foreign models and voiceover artists from advertisements in the country. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCN) announced the plan in a statement this month, saying the move was in line with the government’s policy of “developing local talent”. It said it was also motivated by “the need to take necessary steps and actions aimed at growing the Nigerian advertising industry”. A 2017 to 2021 analysis by PwC projected that Nigeria will be the world’s fastest-growing revenue generator in the entertainment and media industry in the next 5 years, and the advertising business was estimated to be worth $450m last year. The ACRN ban is set to go into effect on October 1, with observers saying it is sure to represent a noticeable shift in a country where non-Nigerians have long been common on the air and radio waves. The ACRN says that the ban covers “any advertisement targeted or exposed on the Nigerian advertising space”, and that while “ongoing campaigns” will be able to continue to run to the end of their current term “subsequent applications for re-validation for continued exposure of such material will not be granted”.