Casablanca Conference Calls for Greater African Music Collaboration and Investment
On Tuesday, the Marriott Hotel in Casablanca became the stage for a gathering that could reshape Africa’s music future. The Africa Music Business Conference, part of AFRIMA’s Road to the 10th AFRIMA campaign, brought together musicians, filmmakers, investors, policymakers and creative entrepreneurs from across the continent and its diaspora. Organised by AFRIMA in partnership with the African Union and Moroccan authorities, attendees called for stronger collaboration, increased investment and deeper cultural exchange to build a globally competitive creative economy.
Founded in 2014 by the International Committee AFRIMA in collaboration with the African Union, AFRIMA has emerged as one of Africa’s leading music awards platforms. The Casablanca meeting followed earlier stakeholder forums in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and was designed to chart the future of the continent’s music and creative industries.
The agenda centred on three pillars: bolstering intra‑African collaboration, expanding investment opportunities, and forging stronger commercial links within the creative ecosystem. Moroccan singer and AFRIMA Ambassador for Northern Africa Ahmed Soultan recalled how the platform changed his career: \"I was the first Moroccan and one of the first North African artists to submit my music to AFRIMA. At the time, I never imagined how much that decision would change my life. AFRIMA opened the door for me to connect with the rest of Africa. It introduced my music to new audiences and gave me opportunities to work with people I might never have met.\"
Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who opened the conference as keynote speaker, urged emerging creatives to pair talent with discipline and relationship‑building. He said, \"Whatever area of the creative industry you choose, always give it your best. But talent alone is not enough. Build relationships because nobody succeeds alone. Where I come from, we say one tree cannot make a forest.\" Afolayan added that AFRIMA has evolved beyond an awards platform into a meeting point for musicians, filmmakers, investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers to exchange ideas and develop business opportunities.
North African rapper Khtek echoed the call for cross‑regional collaboration. She noted, \"We need more collaborations, more joint projects and more opportunities that will help African artists grow together.\" Her remarks underscored the view that stronger ties between North African artists and those from other parts of the continent would reinforce Africa’s cultural identity and global influence.
Mike Strano, AFRIMA Regional Director for Eastern Africa, highlighted the unprecedented international attention the African music industry is receiving while stressing that the continent’s greatest opportunities remain within its own markets. He remarked, \"The African music industry has never received this level of international recognition. But our biggest opportunity is still within Africa. Imagine what can happen when artists from Lagos, Nairobi, Casablanca, Kigali, Dakar and Johannesburg work together, not just creatively but also commercially.\" Strano added that investors, governments and creatives now have an opportunity to develop stronger systems capable of supporting sustainable growth across Africa’s creative economy.
The Casablanca conference fits into AFRIMA’s broader Road to the 10th AFRIMA campaign, which aims to consolidate the awards’ role as a catalyst for industry development. By bringing together stakeholders from multiple regions, AFRIMA seeks to foster partnerships that can translate into concrete investment and commercial projects.
In closing, the conference reached a consensus that stronger collaboration and investment are essential for building a globally competitive African creative economy. AFRIMA will continue to serve as a networking and business‑development platform, and stakeholders will maintain engagement as the 10th AFRIMA awards approach.
