Nigeria and skin lightening: What’s being done? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

Skin lightening is a multibillion-dollar industry and impacts many women, and men, around the world. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Within the African context, women in Nigeria use skin-whitening products the most: according to the World Health Organization 77% of women use them regularly. The situation is so bad that Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) declared a state of emergency in 2023. The BBC’s Madina Maishanu has been speaking to a mother who has used skin-whitening products on all six of her children. Madina shares her story, and talks us through the cultural context of why people use these products. We also hear from aesthetician Zainab Bashir about the risks involved. 00:00 Intro 01:17 Fatima’s story 03:48 Which products did she use? 05:00 How accessible are they? 06:00 Are these products rampant in Africa? 06:52 Why women use them 08:33 What do they do to skin? 09:17 Most harmful ingredients? 09:55 Side effects 11:21 What are Nigerian authorities doing? 13:05 How is Fatima doing now? Watch more episodes from What in the World here 👉🏽    • What in the World   Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Maria Clara Montoya and Elena Angelides Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #skinlightening #skinwhitening #nigeria