Africa's Next Top Model

Lore & Background

The first season (cycle) of Africa's Next Top Model aired on Africa Magic from November 2013 to January 2014. The winner was 20-year-old Aamito Lagum, who represented Uganda. The show is hosted by model Oluchi Onweagba and features contestants from various African countries. A similar adaptation titled West Africa's Next Top Model was planned in 2008, also to be hosted by Onweagba, with auditions beginning in March 2009. However, for unknown reasons, the series was left without a station and never aired, and no contestants were selected. On 12 February 2016, a federal high court in Abuja dismissed preliminary objections regarding a ₦780 billion copyright lawsuit by Chudi Charles against Onweagba for infringing his West Africa's Next Top Model trademark, registered in 2003. The defendants argued they had obtained rights from Tyra Banks, but the objection was dismissed after they were unable to produce a superior title.

Reader's Guide

Africa's Next Top Model represents a significant expansion of the America's Next Top Model franchise into the African continent, providing a platform for aspiring models from multiple African nations. The show's first cycle, won by Ugandan Aamito Lagum, established a regional competition that highlights diverse modeling talent. The series is notable for being hosted by Oluchi Onweagba, a prominent Nigerian model. The legal controversy surrounding the show's trademark—involving a ₦780 billion lawsuit over the West Africa's Next Top Model concept—underscores the complexities of intellectual property rights in television adaptations. The unresolved status of the earlier West African spin-off, which never aired despite auditions, adds a layer of uncertainty to the franchise's history. The show's legacy includes its role in bringing African modeling talent to a wider audience, though its long-term impact is tempered by the legal disputes and the failed predecessor.

Did You Know?

• The winner of the first cycle was 20-year-old Aamito Lagum from Uganda.
• A planned spin-off, West Africa's Next Top Model, never aired for unknown reasons.
• A ₦780 billion copyright lawsuit over the West Africa's Next Top Model trademark was filed against host Oluchi Onweagba.

Show Premise and Format

Africa's Next Top Model is a reality television competition that serves as the pan-African spin-off to the long-running America's Next Top Model franchise. Staying faithful to the structure of its parent series, the show puts a group of aspiring models through a gauntlet of challenges, photo shoots, and eliminations, all vying for the ultimate prize: the title of Africa's Next Top Model and a genuine foothold in the global modeling industry. The competition draws its contestants from various nations across the African continent, giving talents from different cultural backgrounds a shared stage. At the helm of the show is model Oluchi Onweagba, who guides the contestants through each cycle. The program is broadcast on Africa Magic, a pan-African television network, positioning it as a continental production rather than a single-country affair. By adapting the proven ANTM formula to an African context, the series aimed to create a platform where local modeling talent could be discovered, polished, and launched onto a professional trajectory.

The Inaugural Cycle

The first cycle of Africa's Next Top Model hit the screens of Africa Magic in November 2013 and ran through January 2014, marking the show's long-awaited debut after years of planning and controversy. This inaugural season set the template for everything that followed, introducing viewers to the format, the judging process, and the high-pressure environment of the competition. At the culmination of the cycle, the crown went to Aamito Lagum, a 20-year-old contestant representing Uganda. Her victory made her the first person ever to hold the title of Africa's Next Top Model, a milestone that underscored the show's ambition to spotlight young talent from across the continent. Coming from Uganda, her win also highlighted the geographic diversity of the competition, demonstrating that the opportunity was not limited to a single region or nation. The cycle's run over roughly two and a half months gave the show time to build an audience and establish its identity within the broader landscape of African entertainment programming.

The West Africa Controversy

Long before the continental version took shape, a more geographically focused adaptation called West Africa's Next Top Model was conceived in 2008. The planned series would have drawn its contestants from six West African nations—Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia, and Nigeria—and was also slated to be hosted by Oluchi Onweagba. Auditions kicked off in March 2009, signaling that the project had moved beyond the planning stage. However, for reasons that were never publicly clarified, the production lost its broadcasting home, the series was never selected for a final roster of contestants, and it ultimately never aired. This stalled project would later become the flashpoint for a significant legal dispute, as the trademark associated with the West Africa title had been registered in 2003 by Chudi Charles, the CEO of International Pageant and Films. The unresolved status of that earlier, unrealized show cast a long shadow over the eventual launch of the pan-African series.

The ₦780 Billion Legal Battle

The dormant West Africa's Next Top Model trademark resurfaced in a dramatic legal confrontation on 12 February 2016, when a federal high court in Abuja dismissed preliminary objections in a copyright lawsuit filed by Chudi Charles, CEO of International Pageant and Films. Charles, who had registered the West Africa's Next Top Model trademark back in 2003, brought a claim valued at an extraordinary ₦780 billion against Oluchi Onweagba and a roster of additional defendants, including the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Etisalat Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mtech, Multichoice Nigeria, and CBS. In their defense, Onweagba and the co-defendants argued that they had secured the rights to produce Africa's Next Top Model directly from Tyra Banks, the executive producer and host of the original American series. The court, however, found this argument unconvincing. The objection was dismissed after the defendants failed to produce a superior title or documentation that would substantiate their claim of ownership, leaving the trademark dispute unresolved in their favor.

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