Nigeria to ban foreign models and voice artists

The government of Nigeria will from October ban foreign models and voice-over artists from advertisements.

The country’s advertising regulatory council says the move is aimed at ensuring that the local talent do not miss out on job opportunities.

The advertising council says for a long time now, Nigerian models have not been able to benefit from adverts being aired on different media channels.

Olalekan Fadolapo, the head of the council, says this must stop.

Several modelling agencies and production companies have at times been casting foreign models and voice-over artists, sometimes based on the demands of the client.

But critics have raised concerns about some of the requirements in this new policy.

The council says it is still working on it and will be made public before October, when the ban takes effect.

The one-month grace period is to allow companies with ongoing campaigns to finish their term to avoid making losses.

Companies that fail to adhere to this new policy risk being fined up to $2,000 (£1,720).

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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