… As Harvard University Unveils 2025 Afrobeats Inaugural Policy Report
Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism Arts & Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, has described Afrobeats music as a “youth-powered economic engine” and “one of Africa’s greatest exports to the world”
She made this declaration during the global launch of the 2025 Afrobeats Inaugural Policy Report hosted by Harvard University’s Centre for African Societies and Economies (CSASE) in collaboration with Rise Interactive Studios at Delborog Hotel, Victoria Island, on Friday.
Speaking to an audience of scholars, policymakers, and creative industry leaders, Benson-Awoyinka emphasised that Afrobeats is no longer a mere cultural phenomenon but a major driver of economic growth, job creation and global influence.
“Culture is not just entertainment; culture is infrastructure, technology, economic policy and identity,” she said.
“When young people are empowered, protected and given room to innovate, they build industries that uplift a nation.”
The Commissioner noted that Lagos, being home to many of Africa’s leading artists, producers, and creative entrepreneurs, has evolved into a “creative megacity” with global impact.
Under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, the State has expanded talent development programmes, strengthened cultural infrastructure, and built international partnerships to position Lagos as Africa’s cultural and entertainment capital.
She also aligned Lagos’ efforts with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises the orange economy as a key driver of national development, highlighting music, film, fashion, animation, gaming and design as critical sectors for job creation and global competitiveness.
Benson-Awoyinka stressed that despite Afrobeats’ global acceptance, the industry’s long-term stability depends on stronger legal and economic frameworks. She therefore called for reforms across intellectual property protection, royalty systems, cross-border trade, creative financing, anti-piracy enforcement, and public–private sector collaboration.
“If Afrobeats is to mature into a stable global industry, creators must be protected and their work valued,” she said, commending Harvard Law School for advancing research on IP rights in African creative sectors.
The Commissioner paid tribute to Afrobeat pioneer, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, acknowledging his global cultural legacy and noting that his revolutionary sound laid the foundation for today’s Afrobeats movement.
She also praised the 2025 Policy Report, produced by Harvard CSASE and Rise Interactive Studios, describing it as the first comprehensive framework offering policymakers and investors a long-term strategy for building the Afrobeats economy.
“This Report gives structure to what many have felt intuitively,” Benson-Awoyinka noted. “It charts a future where African creativity becomes a global economic superpower.”
The Commissioner reaffirmed Lagos’ commitment to building Africa’s most vibrant creative economy and invited global investors, institutions, and innovation hubs to collaborate with the state.
The key issues discussed were Extractive Global Structures, Weak Local Data, Metrics, and Informality, Opaque Royalty Systems, and Contracting Practices, Undeveloped African Touring Markets, and Extractive Global Industry Structures while Policy Actions was divided into five, Building a Strong Regional Creative-Economy Regulatory Framework, Strengthen Local Financial and Business Ecosystems, Build Robust African Touring and Live-Performance Markets, Develop a Comprehensive Creative-Economy Data Strategy, and Build African- Centered IP and Contracting Models.
