Promoting maternal and child health care by bringing together experts and parents, to discuss key issues surrounding child well-being and parenting in Nigeria are the reasons why the Nigeria’s maiden Baby Convention was held, according to Dr Ayodele Renner.
The event with: “Work-Life Balance for Mums: Myths, Magic, or Must-Have?” as theme took place at La Madison Event Center in Lekki, Lagos. It was designed to become a focal point for the country’s growing maternal and child healthcare market, offering significant business opportunities for local manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
According to Dr Renner who is a pediatrician, the event was designed to bring the various components of the “village” together—healthcare providers, parents, caregivers, and industry experts—to discuss how best to raise healthier children.
He emphasized the significant potential of Nigeria’s baby care market, which remains largely untapped.
While the country’s birth rate continues to rise, much of the baby care market is dominated by imported goods, leaving a significant gap for locally produced products.
Dr Renner noted that Nigeria’s reliance on imports, including diapers, feeding bottles, and baby skincare products, has created a tremendous opportunity for local manufacturers to fill the void.
“We have a huge demand for baby care products in Nigeria, but very little of it is made locally. That’s where the opportunity lies. Local manufacturing can drive down costs and provide affordable, high-quality products for Nigerian families,” he said.
He stressed the potential of digital health products, particularly those designed to support early childhood development, as a key growth area for businesses in the baby care sector.
“As parents increasingly seek products that promote convenience, health, and family bonding, companies are developing innovative solutions, from wearable health monitors to digital platforms that help track a child’s development.
“I hope that the convention will also create a space for businesses to engage with their customers on a deeper level, building trust and loyalty through education and support.
“By providing value to parents and offering them the tools they need to make informed choices, businesses can build long-term relationships with their customers,” he said.
Project Manager, ThatGood Media, Deborah Phillips, said the event started with an online community that needed a space where everybody can come together and discuss parenting journey.
She said the goal is to create a safe space for most of the guests to be able to open up and talk about their struggles.
“We don’t want people feeling like they are alone in this world doing things alone. We want them to be able to network with people, to have a community of people that they can speak to professionals. You know, that that is majorly our goal to create a safe space for them to, open up and talk about their struggles and just help get a helping hand basically,” she said.
