Stakeholders in the beauty industry have urged Ghanaians to leverage the boom in the sector and invest in order to create jobs, and enhance economic growth.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Makeup Ghana, Rebecca Donkor, the African beauty market is valued at US$10billion with South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Ethiopia leading, which clearly means that the country plays a significant part in both the consumption and production of products in the global beauty space.
She added that the sub-Saharan African beauty industry continues to grow exponentially and it can currently boast about 821 million consumers who are eager to buy a wide range of cosmetics and beauty products, making the space promising and requiring intentional investment.
Ms. Donkor, who noted this in an interview with the B&FT, added that sector players must also be intentional about boosting growth in the space.
For his part, CEO of Premium Africa Holdings, Farouk Khailann, said the public and private sectors must join forces to harness the gains of the beauty industry as it has great potential that needs attention.
“It is one of the fastest growing industries; it has created several jobs for a lot of young individuals. It shows potential and it is about time stakeholders – those interested in the country’s economic growth – leveraged it. There is room for scaling up and for export. We can contribute to product formation.
“Those managing the policy formation must keep a close front with industry players – private and public – to build a collective front,” he told the B&FT at the Beauty and Entrepreneurship Summit in Accra.
To further put the industry on a higher pedestal, he said players must intentionally market the sector and the country at large while taking advantage of the digital space.
CEO of First Choice Hair and Beauty, Faustina Adofo-Adjagar, also holds that the industry is experiencing speedy growth, hence, businesses in the space must pay attention to customer relations and satisfaction to increase gains.
“We did not expect occurrences such as this summit ten years ago, where we get a lot of people to come and teach us about how to improve our businesses, how to communicate and leverage new media or even get lessons on financial management and getting the right things done legally. The beauty industry is doing well and getting better, and the narratives are changing. We have to work on customer service as it is key when it comes to the beauty industry. Let us work on ourselves and get the necessary investments and training to better understand products,” she said.
The summit, she said, is a step in the right direction toward perfecting activities in the space.
2022 Ghana Beauty Awards
The event also saw the unveiling of categories for the 2022 Ghana Beauty Awards. This year’s edition has competitive categories and will celebrate pioneers, leading professionals, and upcoming talents within the industry, as well as businesses and brands who are contributing to economic growth.
The categories include Barber of the Year, Best Customer Service Experience, Best Editorial Makeup Artist, Best Salon/Studio, Spa and Wellness Center, Best Special Effects Makeup Artist, Best Hair Colorist, Best Loctician, Best Natural Hair Stylist, Best Hair Cutting Stylist, and Hair Brand of the Year.
Other categories up for win include Beauty Retail Business of the Year, Beauty School of the Year, Best Bridal Makeup Artist, Discovery of the Year, Facilitator/Educator of the Year, Indigenous Brand of the Year, Makeup Artist of the Year, Makeup Brand of the Year, Most Promising Barber, Nail Technician of the Year, People’s Choice Award, Photographer of the Year, Skincare Brand of the Year, Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year, Beauty Product of the Year and Best Bridal Hairstylist.
