AFRIMA Founder Mike Dada Joins African Collaborations Group Advisory Board

The Founder and President of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), Mike Dada, has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the African Collaborations Group (ACG), a platform focused on developing sport and entertainment infrastructure across Africa.

The appointment is expected to strengthen the organisation’s efforts to connect the continent’s sport and creative industries through the development of integrated sport and entertainment districts.

Dada established AFRIMA in 2014 in partnership with the African Union Commission to celebrate African music, promote its global visibility and support cultural exchange across the continent. The awards platform is broadcast in more than 84 countries and brings together artistes, industry professionals and delegates from different parts of Africa.

Beyond his work with AFRIMA, Dada serves as Vice President of the African Union’s Pan-African Congress. He also led the development of the AU’s Plan of Action on Culture and Creative Industries, which was adopted by African Heads of State in 2023 as a framework for developing the continent’s cultural and creative economy.

He is also a member of the Africa Policy Advisory Board of the ONE Campaign, where he contributes to policy discussions on African development priorities.

According to ACG, Dada’s experience in the music industry, continental cultural policy and institutional engagement will bring valuable insight to its plans for developing sport and entertainment districts across Africa.

The organisation explained that while AFRIMA has created a platform for African music to reach international audiences, ACG is focused on developing the physical and financial infrastructure needed to support the wider creative and sporting industries.

Reacting to the appointment, ACG Founder and Executive Chairman, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, described Dada’s experience as a strategic asset to the organisation.

He noted that Dada’s work with AFRIMA and the African Union gives him a combination of industry connections and policy experience that could help ACG align its projects with the continent’s cultural and economic development priorities.

The ACG Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as the organisation works to bring governments, investors, development finance institutions, sports organisations and infrastructure partners together to develop large-scale projects.

The group is promoting a model that moves beyond the construction of individual sports venues to create mixed-use districts combining sports, entertainment and other commercial activities.

ACG said Africa’s sports economy is projected to reach $20 billion by 2035, but argued that the continent needs more integrated infrastructure to support its growth.

Through its collaborative approach, the organisation seeks to take projects from initial concepts through feasibility studies, investment structuring and eventual development.