The Future Face Africa competition, one of the largest model talent searches across the African continent was recently held in Nigeria. It was sponsored by Ecobank Nigeria with the support of Ecobank Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal.

The competition attracted thousands of entrants who competed for a chance to win a two-year modelling contract with a top international modelling agency and a US$5,000 cash prize for both the winning female and male models.

The sponsorship furthers Ecobank’s pan-African vision of developing potential and talent on the continent, in keeping with our founding fathers’ vision of pride in African identity and determination to support the development of Africa.

A rigorous selection process and physical castings took place in all the seven African countries where Ecobank has a presence in addition to Angola, bringing the total number of countries where casting took place to eight. 18 finalists were selected and flown to Lagos for a photoshoot.

Rwanda’s Ana Campos and Angola’s Nziza Ken won the title of ‘Africa’s next future face’. They scooped the prizes as the winning female and male models at the grand final held on 30 January at the Eko Hotels & Suites in Lagos, Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Babajide Sipe, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Ecobank Nigeria, said: “Sponsoring this event demonstrates the strength of Ecobank’s network in supporting such an important event at a pan-African level, and the commitment of Ecobank to creating opportunities for Africa’s youth to realise their potential. There is no doubt that Africa is teeming with the talent, resources and the people that can successfully compete on a global basis. Future Face Africa has provided a platform to discover some of Africa’s new talents to succeed on the global fashion scene.”

Future Face Africa is headed by Elizabeth Isiorho, a pioneer in the African modelling industry and the founder of Beth Model Management Africa, Africa’s largest modelling agency.

For the winners, Ana Campos and Nziza Ken, the real adventures only have just begun. A career in modelling and global competitions awaits them - turning their modelling dreams into a reality!