President Kagame of Ruwanda Actions his ban on skin bleaching products

February 8, 2019
President Kagame of Ruwanda Actions his ban on skin bleaching products | Report Focus News
President Kagame of Ruwanda Actions his ban on skin bleaching products

Faced with the ever increasing problems associated with skin bleaching in Ruwanda, President Paul Kagame instigated the crackdown when he condemned the use of the products in November, urging Rwanda’s ministry of health to take action.

Report Focus spoke with an insider from the ministry of health in Rwanda who confirmed that Ruwanda had started enforcing its nationwide ban on skin bleaching products.

Whitening creams and soaps are being removed from shelves across the African nation, just two months after the government announced that it was banning them from being sold.

A medical expert told Report Focus that “skin bleaching is for many dark skinned Africans, a “standard procedure,” a gateway to beauty and success.
It’s a mindset that has eaten into most African society. For a lot of people, it’s the path to getting a good job, having a relationship.”

Skin lightening is popular in many parts of the world, including South Asia and the Middle East. But medical experts say that in Africa — a continent where regulations are often lax or scorned — the widening phenomenon is laden with health risks.