A new economic and cultural bridge between Africa and the United States is about to take shape in California, United States, as Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) Founder and Chairman Mike Dada, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Afretrade CEO Lekan Salaam and other prominent government, business and creative industry leaders will headline the California-Lagos Business and Investment Summit, from 17 to September 18, in Sacramento and San Francisco. California.
The high-level meeting, themed “Building the Business Bridge between California and Nigeria,” is expected to bring together business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, professionals and influential members of the African diaspora to explore new opportunities for trade, investment and cross-border collaboration.
The summit is a private sector-led initiative driven by Afretrade, the US United Diaspora Chamber of Commerce, the NIED Group and the Lagos State Office of Diaspora Affairs, and is organized to celebrate a milestone in the growing economic relationship between California and Lagos.
As part of the programme, AFRIMA President Mike Dada will speak on “From Culture to Capital: Unlocking the California-Lagos Creative Economy”. His presentation, subtitled “Investing in music, film, intellectual property and the future of cultural trade between Africa and the United States,” will focus on the enormous economic opportunities within Africa’s creative sector and the need to develop stronger investment, intellectual property and commercial structures around the continent’s creative assets.
The presentation is expected to examine how music, film, entertainment and intellectual property can serve as important drivers of economic growth while creating new channels for investment and trade partnerships between Africa and the United States.
“Africa is no longer simply a source of creative content for the global market; Africa is a market, a talent hub and an investment destination. The real opportunity before us is to build structures that allow African creators to retain the value of their intellectual property while attracting the capital, technology and global partnerships necessary to scale their businesses.
“AFRIMA has been at the forefront of Africa’s music business and economic renaissance for the past 15 years, helping to build bridges between African creativity, businesses and global markets. AFRIMA aligns perfectly with the California Business and Investment Summit as both platforms share a common vision of positioning African businesses, talent and intellectual property for global trade competitiveness,” said Dada.
Other speakers and participants at the summit are expected to include Dr. Charly Lemassi, Dr. Badewa Adejugbe-Williams, Dr. Jameine Sanwo-Olu, Victoria Remi Nkong, Chairperson of BridgeAfric, and Rory Douglas, CEO of Aqua Financial, and among other business and industry leaders.
The summit will bring together CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, capital providers, Nigerian professionals and business owners in the United States, members of the African diaspora, and stakeholders in trade and development.
Discussions will focus on sectors including technology and fintech, trade and logistics, transportation, entertainment, agriculture, renewable energy, real estate and access to capital for small and medium-sized businesses.
The main business program will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and will feature keynote speeches, high-level discussions, panels, capital raising opportunities and business meetings.
An official celebration will follow at the historic Stanford Mansion, while the Gala and Awards Night will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.
The program will continue on Friday, September 18 with a high-level diplomatic and business reception in San Francisco.
In a related development, AFRIMA has entered into a strategic partnership with the California-Lagos Business and Investment Summit, strengthening the focus on the creative economy as an important component of the emerging business relationship between California and Nigeria.
Speaking on the partnership, AFRIMA Regional Director for Central Africa, Nde Ndifonka, said developing the music business was central to AFRIMA’s mission.
“Advancing the music business is one of AFRIMA’s seven core pillars, and that is why the AFRIMA Music Business Summit is an integral part of the main AFRIMA Awards activities. Our responsibility goes beyond celebrating artists. We must also help build an ecosystem where African creativity can attract investment, create sustainable businesses and generate greater economic value.
“The California-Lagos Business and Investment Summit provides an important platform for that goal. California is a global hub for technology, capital and entertainment, while Lagos is one of Africa’s leading centers of creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation. Connecting these ecosystems can create opportunities in music, film, intellectual property, technology and cultural commerce. AFRIMA is therefore pleased to partner with the Summit as we continue to build bridges between African creative talent and the global market.”
Established in 2011 by the AFRIMA International Executive Committee in partnership with the African Union, and whose first edition was held in 2014, AFRIMA is the oldest and most prestigious music awards platform on the continent. The tenth edition is scheduled for 2027, and previous events called RoadTo10thAFRIMA have already been held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco.
The awards have been held in major African cities, including Lagos, Accra and Dakar, and are broadcast live in more than 84 countries, reaching millions of viewers around the world.
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