MIKE DADA: Reaffirming Africa’s Position in Global Music

. AFRIMA is not just a music platform, it is a movement

Despite the odds stacked against him when he launched AFRIMA in 2014, Mike Dada defied expectations and stunned the industry—perhaps by divine intervention, sheer determination, or both. Where many doubted his potential and mocked his ideas, he proved he had more than just the Midas touch; he turned his dreams into golden opportunities. Today, this lawyer, techpreneur, and PR marketing communications consultant enjoys a glowing status that extends far beyond AFRIMA. In this interview, he shares with Vanessa Obioha the journey so far and his plans for the future.

When the first edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) was held in Lagos in 2014, afrobeats mania had not yet taken hold and artists like Rema and Asake were relatively unknown.

However, the music emerging from the continent was already garnering attention. From the street rap of Olamide to the rumba sounds of Fally Ipupa, AFRIMA aimed to unite Africa through music, supported by a partnership with the African Union (AU). Ten years later, AFRIMA has achieved more than that. Today, Africa’s distinctive sounds-from afrobeats to amapiano- are not only celebrated across the continent but are also in high demand globally.

The success of AFRIMA can be largely attributed to the vision of its Executive Producer, Mike Dada, who conceived the idea long before its debut in the 2000s. At that time, the only continental platform recognising the African entertainment industry was the KORA Awards, for which Dada managed the account during his tenure at Zmirage Marketing Communications. This experience, combined with encouragement from a friend to pursue his dream, cemented his determination to create a reputable award platform that would be Africa’s answer to the Grammy Awards.

Ordinarily, Dada doesn’t sing even though he was a member of the church choir in his younger years. His love for music stemmed from the joy it brings to people. When conceiving AFRIMA, his driving forces were the desire to create something magical for the continent and the vision of a music award that would be respected, appreciated, and serve as both a unifying force and an advocacy tool.

With the first decade behind him, the vision of AFRIMA remains the same, Dada told me on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon in his expansive office. “The vision on the principle remains the same. It is constant. We knew what we wanted from the onset. We wanted to have an African global music award that would be respected and we were aware from day one that it’s not going to be an easy journey.”

Indeed, it has not been an easy journey, but it has been a rewarding one. Organising a music award ceremony is no small task, regardless of its scale. It involves a myriad of responsibilities, including logistics (catering, transportation, venue management), publicity, selecting eligible nominees, tallying results, budgeting, and more. Central to all of this planning is the financial aspect, which typically relies on sponsorships but may, in some cases, require taking out loans, borrowing from friends and family, or using personal savings. However, the true measure of a successful award ceremony lies in the organiser’s ability to execute their vision flawlessly. Without this, even the most brilliant ideas can become little more than wasted effort.

Despite the odds stacked against Dada when he set out to launch AFRIMA, he defied expectations and stunned the industry, perhaps by divine intervention or sheer determination, or both. Where many doubted his potential and mocked his ideas, Dada proved he had more than just the Midas touch— he turned his dreams into golden opportunities.

Today, he enjoys a glowing status that extends beyond AFRIMA. A graduate of Chemical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Dada is a lawyer and techpreneur, and through his integrated market communications firm, PRM Africa has emerged as a prominent voice in political marketing communications on the continent. AFRIMA, however, remains one of the most notable platforms he engages with the creative industry. He highlighted some of the successes recorded so far.

“We maintained our long-term vision during the first phase which ran from 2013 to 2023. It was to concentrate and commit to the promotion, celebration, and development of African music without the interference or shadow of European or American music, and we have done that. We wanted our artists to be celebrated as kings. 15 years ago, it wasn’t like this. We had Western musicians come here to perform for us but we understood the importance of creating that identity in Africa, around us, among us and also communicating the same to the rest of the world,” he explained, modestly acknowledging that AFRIMA is not the only platform that has helped put African music in the global spotlight.

To a large extent, AFRIMA has been a game-changer for the industry. Dada recalled how he and his team insisted on artists submitting their works digitally and had to teach them how to upload their works on platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube and Vimeo.

AFRIMA has provided a platform for the unheard voices of the continent’s music industry. For instance, at the 2018 AFRIMA held in Ghana, Chad’s DJ Afrotronix was elated to be recognised. His country’s music is not widely known on the continent, but with his trophy as the AFRIMA African DJ for that edition, Afrotronix believed his music would receive the attention it deserved.

 “One thread that runs through all of us, whether you are in Cape Town or Abidjan or Kinshasa, is that Africa is unique and original. We are happy, genuine people and are eager to tell their own stories. Unfortunately, there are not many platforms for them to tell their stories, so there is a quest to find an authentic platform that they can identify with and tell their stories to the world,” said Dada.

According to Dada, there is an urgent need for Africans to showcase their cultural products to the world.

“There is an ongoing global cultural battle. Americans want to think like Americans, and so do the Arabs, Asians and Europeans. It is normal for everyone to want to tell their own stories. So for Africans, what are we communicating to the rest of the world? What identity or perception are we creating or repositioning for the continent?”

Dada sees music as a viable platform to communicate Africa’s values and strength to the world, which is precisely what AFRIMA has been doing since its inception.

“AFRIMA is more than just a music platform. It is a movement,” he said, emphasising that AFRIMA operates on seven pillars, which include the music awards, festivals, skill acquisition, and the African music business summit, which he said has been expanded to a standalone entity, the African Music Business Hub.

There is also a talent discovery and promotion pillar, where AFRIMA partners with local studios for recording sessions with new talents and helps disseminate their work to the media for visibility. Through their advocacy pillar, Dada and his team bring focus to critical issues on the continent, such as girl-child education and even forgotten war-torn countries like Somalia.

The final pillar focuses on advisory and policies, where Dada uses his expertise to advise heads of government on leveraging the creative economy to boost their country’s GDP.

While most developed nations are benefitting from their arts, culture and creative industry, Africa is yet to fully grasp the potential of the sector.

“Some see culture at the basic level, like a group of people dancing to welcome a politician rather than see it as an economic powerhouse that can reduce poverty on the continent, take young people away from the streets and create jobs.”

Dada is very passionate about changing the mindset of the average African who sees themselves as inferior to other races. Friends have suggested he add such roles to his already vast portfolio, but he has yet to make up his mind.

“It’s really about the people, whether you are white or black because all that affects us doesn’t look at our race. We are all human beings,” he said, noting that one of AFRIMA’s goals in its first phase was to make African music something that even Africans would be proud of.

“One of the happiest moments of my life is to see young people, teenagers who don’t want to leave AFRIMA awards ceremonies, begging their parents that they would love to stay a little longer.”

As he spoke, Dada, a native of Badagry, Lagos State, painted a picture of a man who is shrewd, patient, and calculating, like a chess grandmaster. He is not one to rush into decisions but carefully strategises before making a move. This explains, in part, why the second phase of AFRIMA, as he described it, will be unapologetically African. He revealed that over the years, he has resisted tempting offers to host the awards outside the continent, simply because he wants AFRIMA to be a platform that is authentically African. Being the visionary he is, one can only anticipate the groundbreaking moments that lie ahead in the next phase.