Our 3rd Annual Congress in Rabat, Morocco, held during the Visa For Music Festival, was a great time for members of the network to meet again. For many of the members who came, it was their first time at an ACA event, so they had plenty of opportunities to catch up with fellow members that they had not met before, and there were plenty of opportunities for deals and collaborative projects to be struck.
However, beyond all the individual networking, the congress itself was fruitful for all participants, and as a network, the ACA made some firm decisions on what to focus on going into 2025. Moving forward, the network will focus on three key areas. Education, cultural exchange projects, and a membership drive.
Education
Education and professionalism have been major issues for the African creative industry professionals , and one that the ACA has decided to focus on. It was decided that Board member Walter Wanyanya (Zimbabwe) would lead our initiatives around the learning and education of African creative industry professionals by bringing ideas as well as identifying partners and projects that can help us to achieve our aim of educating a new generation of music professionals in Africa.
Culture Exchange Projects
The ACA has identified to create an inclusive network of creative industry professionals on the continent, there needs to be culture exchange projects with the bodies within and outside the continent. The ACA hopes to be a key player in terms of cultural exchanges on the African continent and has already identified a number of organizations and institutions that are interested in cultural exchange projects within and outside the continent. Member Salym Fayad (South Africa), by virtue of his work as a cultural promoter, which has allowed him to be rooted in two continents, will lead ACA’s efforts around sustainable cultural exchanges.
Membership
It was noted that while it is commendable that the current membership of the ACA shows the diversity of the African creative industry, the ACA needs to open its doors wider to industry professionals from all corners of the continent, especially from parts of Africa that are often underrepresented in conversations around the creative industry on the continent.
Thus, it was decided that board member Kayode Adebayo (Nigeria) should lead the network’s membership drive. His duties will include determining an appropriate membership structure for the network; creating membership criteria that would attract new members and also ensure that existing members derive valuable benefits from their membership; and identifying new members who might be willing to join the network in the near future.
Adebayo was determined to be qualified for this role by virtue of being in charge of the ACA secretariat, his work in creating and managing the network’s membership platform, and how his tech startup, Ckrowd, is enhancing the discoverability of music professionals in Africa.
Finance and Investment
The congress determined that the network would need finance to carry out its set projects, and thus there needs to be a finance committee to support planned projects for 2025. Faisal Kiwewa (Uganda) was appointed to head the finance committee to lead the ACA’s investment drive. Faisal would be required to work with other committee heads to draft budgets for ACA programs; to identify sources of investment and funding for the network; and to identify individual and institutional partners who are willing to support the network with grants and funding.
We congratulate the people who have been appointed to lead various initiatives, and we are excited about what is to come from our focus areas in 2025. We are looking forward to continuing to bring you news of the various initiatives and projects that are going to come from these three focus areas.
Arts Connect Africa is still committed to building a creative industry that will have a cultural and economic impact on the African continent.
