Stakeholders at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS) have identified policy reform, technology adoption and stronger collaboration as key steps needed to deepen the growth of Africa’s music industry.
The summit held on Thursday, January in Lagos, brought together artistes, policymakers, diplomats and industry leaders to discuss ownership, investment, copyright, distribution and the future of African music, under the theme, “Connect, Build, Own: Monetising Africa’s Music Revolution.”
Speaking at the event, the President of AFRIMA, Mike Dada, said the industry must begin to pay closer attention to business structures if it hopes to achieve sustainable growth.
“African music is not only about the songs and vibes but about building the business aspect of the industry,” Dada said.
He added that the Africa Music Business Summit was created to connect creatives with decision makers across the sector.
“Africa Business Summit is designed to expose African artists to business leaders within the sector on the continent,” he stated.
In her keynote address, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, encouraged African creatives to believe in their potential, regardless of background.
“Talent knows no bounds, whether you are born into affluence or poverty,” she said.
She added, “The most exciting music talents globally are not in America, Sweden or the UK but in Africa, especially in Nigeria.”
Westerholm explained that Sweden built its music industry deliberately from the 1990s and has become one of the world’s leading exporters of music, noting that African countries can also leverage music for economic development. She also reaffirmed Sweden’s willingness to partner with African creatives in monetisation and global promotion.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission, the Head of Culture Division, Angela Martins, described music and the creative economy as central to development and job creation on the continent.
She said, “At the African Union Commission, we recognise music and the creative economy as powerful engines for development, job creation and social cohesion. We will continue to prioritise culture as both an economic asset and a tool for African identity, unity and global influence. We remain firmly committed to supporting policies and frameworks that strengthen intellectual property rights, ensure fair remuneration for creators, and allow industry professionals to own, control and monetise their creative outputs across the value chain.”
On investment and infrastructure, Mark Smithson, Country Director, Department for Business and Trade at the British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, said Africa must look inward for sustainable funding.
“African problems need to be solved by African solutions, with the support of the international community,” he said.
Quoting an African Finance Corporation report, he added, “There is about 1.1 trillion dollars of institutional capital on the continent that can be leveraged through pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance funds to support digital and physical infrastructure.”
Media professional Lucy Iladoh also stressed the need for African solutions tailored to African realities.
“Nollywood grew because of the locals. They found a formula that fits the Nigerian context,” she said.
She warned against copying foreign models wholesale.
“We cannot reinvent the wheel, but we cannot copy and paste,” Iladoh noted.
She also advocated the creation of a continental streaming platform.
“It is possible to have an African streaming platform that caters for African content and pays artists well,” she said, adding that government should focus on building structures that enable creatives to earn rather than provide handouts.
Technology featured prominently in the discussions, with Congolese artiste Innos’B sharing how artificial intelligence is shaping his work.
“Technology is helping us a lot in terms of creativity,” he said.
“I was part of a project where the entire music video was done with AI. Nobody went to shoot the video, yet the connection with the audience was massive,” he explained.
He added, “To me, AI is the next big thing. It is not something we should run from. It is something we should use, and it is getting better in how we communicate with the public.”
On continental collaboration, Ivorian artiste Didi B urged African artistes to work beyond language barriers.
“To be heard all over the world, we must first be united in Africa,” he said.
He noted that collaboration between Anglophone and Francophone artistes remains limited and called for more intentional partnerships.
Discussions on copyright and regulation also pointed to the need for African governments to cooperate on harmonised copyright systems to protect creatives and guarantee fair earnings across borders.
The Lagos State Government restated its support for the creative sector.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, described Lagos as Africa’s cultural capital and disclosed that the state invested N8.4bn in creative industries in 2025.
She said the government remains committed to creating an enabling environment for collaboration, training and global competitiveness.
Other stakeholders, including producers ID Cabasa and Olisa Adibua, urged artistes to treat music as a profession, embrace learning, stay original and not fear failure.
Credit: Guardianng
