Warner Music deepens commitment to boosting Nigeria’s creative economy

Warner Music Africa (WMA) has restated its intention to expand its operations within the country, in a bid to further stimulate Nigeria’s blossoming creative scene.

Delegates from the global music firm including Alfonso Perez-Soto, President of Emerging Markets; Laverne Thomas, Operations Lead; Temi Adeniji, Managing Director, and Yoel Kenan, Chief Executive Officer, Africori, met with key government officials, in Abuja, to establish crucial relationships and to bolster WMA’s mission of empowering Nigeria’s vibrant creative sector ahead of opening a fully owned office in Lagos.

The delegation were received by Honourable Ayodele Olawande, Minister of State For Youth Development, Minister Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, and Adeagbo Oluwadunsin Ayomide, Special Advisor to the President on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

These meetings underscored WMA’s longstanding commitment to Nigeria, dating back to 2017. WMA reaffirmed its dedication to empowering local businesses across the continent, as demonstrated through its investments in Ziiki Media, Chocolate City and Africori.

The WMA delegates also outlined its plans to establish a creative hub in Lagos, which will enable Warner Music Group to provide more of its A&R, Operations and Marketing expertise to Nigeria’s creative ecosystem.

“As WMA continues to deepen its engagement in Nigeria, the company remains steadfast in its mission to amplify the voices of African artists and creators on the global stage, while fostering innovation and inclusivity within the region’s dynamic creative landscape,” a communique sent by the company’s press team read.

The delegates further recalled that Warner Music Group / Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund (WMG/BFF SJF) has contributed more than US$400,000 to Nigeria’s creative sector via its Repertoire and Core Funds. Part of that funding was received as $200,000, in 2022, to the West African Vocational Education and $150,000, in 2023, to The Sarz Academy which nurtures emerging talent in music production.

They also explained how the present leadership, comprising Temi Adeniji and Alfonso Perez-Soto, has been instrumental in driving the success of Warner Music’s global artists in Africa and their local repertoire across the globe. They both played a pivotal role in signing and promoting CKay, whose viral single “Love Nwantiti” has achieved extraordinary success, recently being certified 8x platinum in the US.

Drawing further emphasis of their impact on artistes directly, they also highlighted their recent signing of 26-year-old Nigerian singer-songwriter Joeboy, who has amassed an impressive two billion streams over the past five years. As part of the deal, Joeboy has created Young Legend, his own record label dedicated to providing a platform for the next generation of stars. This exciting venture will see the label partnering with Warner Music Africa for global distribution of its artists’ music.