SASS Health and Beauty, in collaboration with Miss West Africa International will for the first time stage Miss West Africa (MWA) beauty pageant on 29th April 2011 at the Cocoa Ocean Hotel.

This was revealed at a press conference held at SASS Health and Beauty office at Bakau Newtown. The competition aims to promote a positive image for all West African countries by creating awareness of the social and cultural issues affecting West Africa.

Saviour Abubacarr Aluede, director of SASS, said the pageant is an annual event which starts first at national level in 32 countries. Each country, he added, organises a pageant to get the best representative from their country to contest in the international rounds with the queens of all the other countries.  “Miss West Africa-Gambia pageant will find a true icon who will be the face of The Gambia to the world. She will carry the hearts and might of the smiling coast to light up the world,” he said.

According to him, the competition explores the beauty of the West African women to find an individual soul with natural talent, beauty and brains to represent West Africans in the globe. It is designed to promote the best of West African culture, beauty and lifestyle to the rest of the world.

For his part, John Kelvin, a modeling agent, said the beauty queen will be a goodwill ambassador who among other things will be a role model for youths. She will tackle key issues like teenage pregnancy, drugs, substance abuse, early marriages and above all assist youth to develop self esteem. “She will be an ambassador for the nation and advocate the  empowerment of the youths of The Gambia,” he added.

The Miss West Africa Beauty Pageant has become pheunomenal in the world since its inception in 2008. The final competition is slated to take place in Nigeria on 17 December 2011.