Nigeria, Others Collaborate with Recording Academy to Empower African Music Creators

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja and Agnes Ekebuike in Lagos

Nigeria has held a roundtable meeting with organisers of the Grammy Awards, Recording Academy, and four other countries to investigate modalities for a Global African Music upscale.

The steering meeting which also had in attendance Kenya, Rwanda and a delegation from South Africa took place at the Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda aimed at elevating the vibrant music and culture of Africa onto the global stage.

It was a steering committee consisting of Ministers of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy of Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and a delegation from South Africa representing the Ministry in South Africa, the CEO of the Latin Recording Academy and representatives of Afrexim Bank and the Recording Academy.
They resolved to advance the creative industries across the continent and support the diverse artistic heritage.

In her remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said that Africa was the future of the music industry boom.
In a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Pubicity, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, Musawa said Nigeria is diversifying from oil to music, culture and entertainment which will fetch the country, $100 billion by 2030.

She urged member countries to support one another and embrace the African music project which will not only serve as a platform for global economic expansion but also as a tool for national reconciliation, unity and progress in Africa’s  entertainment industry.
“I must salute our Afrobeat superstars as their globalization and emergence into global pop culture has brought the Grammies to Africa. I will first thank the legends of the Nigerian music industry that brought us here; Burna Boy, WIzkid, Don Jazzy, Dbanj, Davido, P-Square, 2Face, Asake, Tiwa Savage, and others too numerous to mention.

“Nigeria was invited to this meeting by the Recording Academy following the global success of Nigeria’s afrobeats movement. As Africans, we are the future. We are undeniable and have a voice which must be used to propel the unity and progress of not only Africans but the black race all over the world.

“The music industry provides alternative source of revenue for Nigeria as well as other African countries, thus reducing dependency on traditional sectors like oil. The Nigerian music industry is enjoyed across Africa and the globe, providing employment opportunities for millions of young people in Africa, while promoting the  African culture and generating foreign currency to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” she said.

She stressed that the meeting has a duty to use the collaboration with the Recording Academy and all the founding members, to give Africa the strength and identity they have always yearned, adding President Bola Tinubu had directed her to ensure an enabling environment is created for this collaboration to thrive and to see how  all can work together as equal partners.

The statement further stated that the steering committee discussed issues affecting the  African music industry including Intellectual Property Rights, Piracy, and poor funding.

Key stakeholders at the meeting included the Recording Academy’s Chair, Tammy Hurt, the CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr., Co-President Panos A. Panay, and the Special Advisor to the CEO and President of the Recording Academy Joe Phelan. Others include the Minister of Youth and Arts in Rwanda, Hon. Utumatwishima Jean Nepo Abdallah, Minister of Sports and Culture in Kenya Hon. Ababu Namwamba, Acting Minister of Sports, Art,  Tsholofelo Lejaka who represented the Ministry from South Africa and the representative of Afrexim Bank Temwa Gondwe.

The Recording Academy had earlier announced agreements with Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa to extend its efforts to support music creators on a global scale.

Nigeria embraces this vision of partnering with other creative minds on the continent, to explore advanced strategies and roadmaps aimed at promoting the country’s talents through world-stage performances.