By Kingsley Adegboye

The upcoming Beauty West Africa 2024 Conference is set to address critical issues facing the West African cosmetics industry, with a focus on improving funding access and raising standards to drive growth and competitiveness. Scheduled to take place from 26th to 28th November 2024 in Lagos, this high-profile event will bring together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to explore sustainable solutions and opportunities within the region’s beauty and personal care market.

According to the organisers, Issues such as the importance of developing industry standards with public-private collaboration, accessing funding for beauty SMEs, and trends and opportunities in the hair and beauty sector will be featured in the two-day conference opening on November 26th.

According to a statement issued by the senior  group exhibition manager of B to B, Ken Barber the event organiser, other topics for discussion will include skin tone and hyperpigmentation, and biotech innovations in cosmetic formulations, while there will be workshops for hairstylists and barbers, which will take place on the third day of the event.

“Beauty West Africa is the leading trade event promoting beauty, cosmetics and grooming in Nigeria and West Africa. Nigeria’s beauty and personal care market has been forecast to approach ₦16 trillion (US$9.71 billion) in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 12.11% (CAGR 2024-2029).

“Running alongside the Beauty West Africa Exhibition at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, the free-to-attend Conference has several leading beauticians, cosmetic scientists and cosmetics business owners sharing their experiences based on working in the local and international beauty industry.

“Beauty West Africa has consistently provided an unparalleled platform for the African beauty industry to connect, innovate, and grow,” said Editor-in-chief of BeautyInLagos, Ezinne Alfa, who collaborated with BtoB Events to organize the show.

“Discussions at last year’s conference directly contributed to the formation of the National Technical Committee on Beauty Care & Wellbeing Services (NTCBCWS) by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), tasked with developing standards for the Nigerian beauty industry. This demonstrates the real impact of the conversations and collaborations that take place here.”

The statement reads as the official conference partner, BeautyInLagos is excited to foster more transformative dialogue and innovation at this year’s event, empowering beauty professionals to drive meaningful change across the continent.

“This year’s conference is hosting the inaugural Beauty Stakeholder Engagement Forum, convened by the newly formed National Technical Committee on Beautycare and Wellbeing Services. Bringing together key stakeholders and professionals from all sectors of the beauty industry.

A keynote speaker is Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, Director General at the SON, who will speak on the importance of regulators working with businesses and how this can contribute to Nigeria achieving global excellence in the beauty and cosmetics industry.

“Among the other speakers are broadcast media professional Lamide Akintobi, Bolanle Tyson who is Head of SME Products at Sterling Bank, Lilian Arigbodi, the Founder & MD of Lilian Collins Ltd, and Vanessa Azar, Beauty Executive at Azar Limited.

The hairstyling and barber workshops on November 28th are being provided by Wahl, the leading international brand of hair clippers for professional and home grooming. The live demonstrations will be taught by renowned educators as part of a global education program “which provides barbers, hairdressers and customers with the fundamental support and quality of training required to succeed in the industry.”