YouTube is partnering with the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) for the 8th edition of the annual festival, taking place in Dakar, Senegal in January 2023. As part of the partnership, YouTube will provide artist-focused educational sessions and live-streaming support for the event.
AFRIMA is a pinnacle of recognition for African music globally and aims to ensure that the annual 4-day festival is broadcasted to music lovers and stakeholders around the world. In addition, to live streaming the event, YouTube will conduct workshop sessions at the Africa Music Business Summit, which is part of AFRIMA, to educate African creatives on visibility in the global creative ecosystem on a digital platform.
Furthermore, YouTube will also partner with AFRIMA on the AFRIMA Creative Academy incubator program, which aims to empower one million Africans in the music and creative industries over the next five years. The program aims to provide education and resources to help African creatives thrive in their crafts.
The Head of the Culture Division at the African Union Commission, Angela Martins, commented on the partnership, saying “It is important that we spread our efforts to promote inclusivity and ensure that the world can see the impact of AFRIMA at the global centre stage. It is easier for people to now follow up with the award ceremony via their smartphones or other devices. It is also vital we continue to create more education for creators to help them thrive in their crafts, and we are happy to align with YouTube on achieving this shared vision.”
AFRIMA’s President and Executive Producer, Mike Dada, also praised YouTube for supporting the African creative economy. He stated, “We have all seen the rise in circulation of short-form audio-visual content on these services and how they have helped to promote African music and creators on a global scale. We believe that sharing knowledge will be a veritable means to expand the revenue funnel for our creators at home and also boost foreign direct investment. In the spirit of uplifting the African creative ecosystem, we are excited to work with a driven and innovative team like YouTube.”
