Seye Salimata Wins Golden Scissor Award West African Final

The National Theatre in Accra last Saturday saw the crowning of Ms Seye Salimata of Senegal as the winner of the coveted Golden Scissor Award West African Final, taking home a cash prize of $2,000.

Ms. Salimata was also awarded with a trophy, $500 worth of SoftSheen.Carson products, a trip to South Africa to appear as a celebrity stylist at the SoftSheen.Carson Golden Scissor Award 2003 and a weekend at Sun City after the South African event.

Ghana's Ms. Tamara Anderson, who placed second, received a medal, $1000 in cash and $200 worth of SoftSheen.Carson products.

The other competitors were Mr. Aderire Ogunneye and Mr. Daniel Omotuyole from Nigeria, Mr. Jean Michel Togou and Mr. Koffi Dedi from Cote d'Ivoire, Seck Diocio from Senegal and Mavis Mensah from the host nation.

In an interview with the winner, Ms. Salimata, she said she knew she would win because she did an excellent work although that was her first time of participating in the competition.

She said she would expand her salon, "Saphir Complex", when she goes home.

The contest, which was keenly contested by the eight contestants from Cote d'Ivore, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana, in front of an audience of over 2,000 people, presented two finished styles on stage in the Bridal and Avante Garde (Fantasy) categories.

However, 90% of the score was done in the process of making their hairstyles back stage, called the pre-judging.

The panel of judges for the event were both local and internationally acclaimed experts in the hairdressing industry including Derrick Mullings of the United Kingdom, Mrs. Opral Benson from Nigeria, Mrs. Josiane Loba and Ms. Xoli Ntshingila from South Africa. Paul Cardoen of Trust Bank Limited was the auditor.

The Chief Operating Officer of Carson Products West Africa Limited, Mr. Jerome Camus, in an interaction with the press, said the company would launch most of its male products this year.

He said they would launch their newest sporting waves moisturizer very soon. Jerome noted that they also have introduced a competition for the male counterparts called "the battle for the barbers" in Nigeria and would be replicated in the other West African States if it were successful.

He stated that SoftSheen.Carson is currently training between 70 and 200 hairdressers a week through their intensive training programmes.

SoftSheen.Carson has developed various ranges of products to fulfill the needs of all their customers, including Dark & Lovely, Optimum Care, DL Precise, Beautiful Beginnings, Restore Plus, Magic shaving powder, Sportin' Waives, Sadie and Blue Ice.