As part of the Création Africa fund and in partnership with Creative Economy Practice by CChub, the French Embassy in Nigeria is launching a series of activity focusing on the music industry in Nigeria. More specifically, it is aiming to support emerging music artists and professionals.
 
In this framework, a 5-day bootcamp, called The Amplify Bootcamp, for music artists and managers, was held in MSwitch, Abuja. The boot camp which held from the 24th to 28th of March, benefitted 16 music artists and managers based in Abuja or the Northern region. The 16 beneficiaries were selected via an Open call, by a jury of renowned music industry personalities comprising Made Kuti, Godwin Tom, Blessing Azubike, Adeola Akinyemi and Margaux Demeersseman.
 
The aim of this bootcamp was to train emerging music artists and their managers in various skills such as storytelling and pitching, legal aspects of the music industry, artistic communication and the use of social networks, as well as concepts such as artistic identity and career planning, among others.
 
The Bootcamp was intended to be a timeless moment of reflection, in a privileged and inspiring setting, where artists and their managers will have a unique opportunity to move their project forward, surrounded and advised by a team of the best experts in the Nigerian music industry. The aim was to give beneficiaries all the keys and skills they need to leverage their capacities and build up their career.
 
The beneficiaries had the opportunity to meet Godwin Tom, founder of the Creative Industries Initiative For Africa (CIIFA), for a session on artistic communication, as well as Mr Moody, Director of WIPO, who gave them the keys to intellectual property in the music industry, and Kaduna-born musical artist Godwin, who gave a talk on artistic identity.

The Bootcamp ended with a visit to the French Institute of Nigeria by its director, Lucille Haddad, who spoke to participants about the various opportunities offered by France for musical artists. The visit was followed by an award ceremony for attendance certificates and a convivial cocktail party.
 
Artists and their managers left the camp with a ready-to-use EPK (Electronic Press Kit), as well as a career and communication plan they created during the bootcamp, supported by experts in the field.
 
A second bootcamp, with the same format, will take place in Lagos from the 7th to the 11th of April 2025 at Madhouse, Unilag, Lagos, benefiting artists from the Southern region.

At the end of both bootcamps, four artists and their managers will be selected to take part in live performance training and will have the opportunity to perform live at various large-scale events provided by the French embassy in Nigeria.
 
These bootcamps are part of the wider Création Africa fund, an initiative of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs designed to support and encourage African creation, artists and cultural industries through various programs implemented by the French Embassy in Nigeria.