As Africa’s influence on global culture, creativity, and commerce continues to grow, conversations around representation and inclusion in global marketing campaigns are becoming increasingly important. While many multinational brands have embraced diversity messaging, questions remain around whether African stories are being told authentically and whether Africans are meaningfully involved in shaping those narratives.
Women in Marketing Africa, will host the “Real Talk Debate” in Nairobi on June 11, bringing together some of Africa’s leading marketing and brand executives to discuss one of the industry’s most pressing question: Are global brands genuinely committed to authentic African representation?
The “Real Talk Debate” aims to spark honest industry conversations around representation, decision-making, cultural nuance, and the role African creatives and marketers play in influencing global brand positioning. The Nairobi debate will bring together senior leaders from across marketing, advertising, media, technology and the wider creative industries for a candid and thought-provoking discussion on authenticity, authorship, visibility and commercial responsibility.
Ahead of the debate, Capital Lifestyle caught up with Andrea Djan-Krofa, CEO, Women in Marketing, to provide insights into how global brands can move beyond performative diversity toward meaningful African inclusion and authentic storytelling.
Andrea will speak on the importance of ensuring African voices are not only represented in campaigns but also included in leadership, strategy, and creative decision-making processes shaping global brands. The discussion also comes at a time when consumers globally are demanding greater authenticity, transparency, and cultural relevance from brands, especially in emerging markets.
The Real Talk Debate series will be held at Tusker Brewhouse, East Africa Breweries PLC. EABL has consistently championed inclusivity through its various brands. For example, Johnnie Walker’s She Walks platform has intentionally spotlighted women across East Africa who are taking bold steps in their respective fields, driven by the belief that even small strides can lead to meaningful transformation.
As a partner and host of this event, EABL is further demonstrating its commitment to fostering important conversations around representation and inclusion, particularly African representation, while creating spaces where diverse voices can be heard and celebrated.
“To differentiate what’s authentic from performative African representation, it is dependent on who’s telling the story. If the story is more hellbent on optics as opposed to having authentic African experiences as its nucleus, the it is performative as they come,” explains Andrea.
Why Now?
Andrea opines that the conversation has been long overdue. African culture has relentlessly permeated the world and it is only right that we’re vigilant now more than ever. Andrea says: “We ought to make sure that our culture is being showcased to the world, the people making the money and getting the credit for it are African themselves. Some brands have shown high integrity in that sense, whilst others have downright been ripping us off.” Andrea is also adamant that African consumers are now emboldened enough to demand for what they want, and that has reflected in the sales of various consumer brands.
The Real Talk Debate
“Attendees can look forward to immense learning and clarity, as well as connections with other senior leaders. All the conversations will be geared towards the impact of representation and inclusivity in sales, very interactive audience sessions as well as a mandatory Q&A. The conversation will generally be quite provocative and stir up emotions in people. It will be a fun, but different debate,” says Andrea of the event.
Andrea adds that the explosion of the Afrobeats genre has been a gateway into Africa, opening doors for cuisine and fashion, among other avenues.
Confirmed panellists on the Brand side include:
• Palak Kamdar-Radia – Marketing Director East Africa & Indian Ocean; Mastercard
• Ope Lawal – Chief Marketing Officer; NBA Africa
• Vivian Achieng Oyugi – Marketing Director: Beauty, Wellbeing and Personal Care East and West Africa; Unilever
With the Agency line up consisting of:
• Akua Owusu-Nartey – Group CEO; WPP-Scangroup
• Serah Katusya – CEO; Belva Digital
• Megha Dutta – Executive Creative Director; The Partnership Africa
Both sides expertly moderated by Carolyne Kendi – CEO; CK Marketing Coaching
The Future
“I envision an even more women-led space. Evidence has time and time again proven that there is more commercial benefits that stem from organizations helmed by women. We are the future,” she says.
As for herself, Andrea says she want to build her organization, increase its visibility and connect with different markets more. “I want the community to get to a functional point where it runs itself and takes on a life of its own,” she concludes.
The Real Talk Debate Series has become known for its bold, insight-led discussions that move beyond traditional conference panels, creating space for genuine debate, audience interaction and challenging perspectives. Previous editions have taken place in major Africa cities including Accra and Johannesburg, bringing together senior leaders from across Africa’s marketing, media and creative sectors.
Get tickets to the Real Talk Debate HERE
