AU Restates Support for AFRIMA

AU Restates Support for AFRIMA

The African Union (AU) commission has reinstated its support and commitment to its partnership with All Africa Music Awards, (AFRIMA), because of the awards socio-economic impact on the continent and its young people.

The AU reaffirmed its support for AFRIMA during a strategic meeting held at the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last week, after the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

In attendance at the strategic Meeting for the advancement of creative industry in Africa and preparation for AFRIMA 2020 were the Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission (AUC), Her Excellency, Amira Mohammed Elfadil; Minister of Information and Culture, Nigeria, Mr. Lai Muhammed; Director, Department of Social Affairs, AUC, Mme Cisse Mariama Mohamed and Head of Culture, AUC, Angela Martins.

Others were President/Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr. Mike Dada and Country Director-Designate, AFRIMA-Ethiopia, Eyob Alemayehu among others.

Elfadil, in her remark, expressed appreciation to the International Committee of AFRIMA for consistently striving towards achieving the shared objectives of an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa through the platform of AFRIMA.

She also thanked the Nigerian government for its support to the successful hosting of the AFRIMA pan-African initiative. ‘’The African Union will continue to support and partner AFRIMA on this journey of leveraging the platform of music, art and culture to engage young people as well as unite and promote Africa positively to the world,” she said.

The Minister of Information and Culture of Nigeria could not hide his gratitude to the African Union for partnering the AFRIMA, a pan-African initiative with its root from Nigeria right from inception and urged the AU to continue to do more. ‘The Nigerian government has been instrumental to the success of AFRIMA over the years by providing strategic partnership and institutional support,’’ Mohammed said.

Dada, who is also a Public Relations/Brand management Consultant and a lawyer, thanked the African Union and the Nigerian Government for their selfless support and partnership over the years. ‘’The planning and preparation for AFRIMA 2020 is in top gear and we are ready to wow and bring Africa together again in an atmosphere of love, unity, celebration and forward-thinking that will act as the growth engine for intra-Africa trade and development,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, twelve Heads of State have committed themselves to play the role of leadership, advocacy and facilitation for Arts, Culture and Heritage in Africa at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

They also adopted a draft resolution that was aimed at declaring 2021 as the year of culture to develop creative industries as a generating economic development and outreach.

The AU Arts, Culture and Heritage was at its climax when His Excellency, President of Republic of Mali, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, was designated as African Union Leader for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

There was also the establishment of a presidential-level structure of additional twelve African Heads of State, namely Presidents of Cape Verde, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa as a council of the peers to carry out his mission.

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