Entrepreneur | Team Lead | Trainer/ Coach | Advocate For The Beauty Industry It all started when I had to read Makeup as a free elective course at the School of Performing Arts Legon - Ghana. At the time there were very few foreign makeup brands in Ghana until I left the country for a while, came back and realized that the market was fast-growing. A few local brands were birthed and the foreign ones had quadrupled. I saw an industry with so much potential which was lacking proper channels and standards and I decided to seize the opportunity and make the best of it. The objective is to bring together beauty practitioners, brands, retailers, and beauty content creators under one umbrella in order to propel the industry forward. The vision is to lead the transformation of the African Beauty Industry to reach its full potential and the mission is to be at the forefront of empowering the African Beauty Industry towards Excellence through Training & Capacity Building to develop world-class professionals and entrepreneurs, Consulting & Advisory Services, Advocacy & Consumer Education and Events. In regard to the events, we have organized seminars, workshops and other capacity-building forums for stakeholders in the industry. Africa Makeup and Beauty Fair (AMB Fair), which brings together product manufacturers (brand owners), wholesalers, retailers and consumers to trade and interact with each other.
In the area of capacity building, we have also organized several training sessions for all stakeholders in the industry. In addition, we have set up the College of Beauty, Arts and Entrepreneurship (CBAE) to further enhance the knowledge and skill levels of stakeholders of the industry. To further raise the level of competence of practitioners, we sourced for funding and championed the development of the first-ever National Curricula in Makeup Artistry at both Certificate I and II Levels within the National TVET Qualifications Framework. We are duly endorsed and or recognized by the Ministry of Business Development, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Ministry of Education, and other state department and agencies such as the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Commission of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Skills Development Fund (SDF), Ghana Education Service (GES), Technical and Vocational Education Division (TVED) of the GES, Technical Examinations Unit (TEU) of the GES amongst others. The aforementioned institutions and international institutions such as GIZ and KFW have supported and/or still support activities of Makeup Ghana. This only goes to underscore the core credibility of Makeup Ghana. To further stamp our authority in the industry, we signed an MOU with the Ghana Standards Authority to lead the charge in developing a robust Code of Practice to regulate activities of Practitioners, Retailers and other Service Providers within the Industry. We are also collaborating with various trade associations and groups within the industry to ensure higher standards of practice and to raise the image of the industry. The ultimate goal is to impact lives and ensure sustainable growth in the Ghana Beauty Industry.
What were the biggest initial hurdles and how did you overcome them? Getting the right people who believe in your dream and are ready to sail through the tough times with you and then getting Sponsorship. Being passionate about the vision and constantly searching for like-minded individuals who are driven and self-motivated has helped me. I had to use personal financing for a significant portion of our activities, but I was also lucky to have started with very supportive industry players. Strategic industry partnerships made the journey possible, and financing was and continues to be a key part of their support. We are constantly seeking more strategic partnerships and believe some aspects of our activities would benefit from more public sector support, especially in the area of training and capacity building. What books are you currently reading? 101 Ways to Improve Business Performance by Donald Waters, the methods and techniques for measuring improvement are very effective and this book titled 25 Ways to Win with People by John C. Maxwell is a tool book that every leader must have. Social Media Handles: Instagram - @therebeccadonkor Facebook - @Rebecca Donkor