The President of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), Mike Dada, has taken part in high-level discussions on the future of Africa’s cultural and creative industries at an international forum held in Rabat, Morocco.
Mr Dada was among cultural policymakers, academics and industry practitioners who attended the third Moroccan Forum of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), which took place between 11 and 14 December 2025. The event was organised with the endorsement of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and hosted by the HIBA Foundation, a cultural organisation established to support the development of Morocco’s creative economy.
The forum brought together participants from across Africa, Europe and North America, including representatives from Senegal, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Belgium, Germany, France and Canada’s Quebec province. Over four days, delegates examined how African countries can strengthen cultural ecosystems, improve policy coordination and expand the economic contribution of creative industries such as music, film, fashion and visual arts.
Discussions focused on the challenges facing the sector, including limited access to financing, uneven regulatory frameworks, skills gaps and barriers to cross-border collaboration. Participants also explored how cultural industries can contribute to employment, youth development and economic diversification, particularly as many African countries seek to reduce reliance on extractive industries.
Mr Dada, who represented AFRIMA and the African music sector, participated in a panel session examining the prospects for greater continental coordination among cultural operators. The session explored lessons from previous attempts at pan-African collaboration and assessed how future frameworks could support knowledge sharing, mobility of creative professionals and market access across borders.
During the discussion, Mr Dada outlined AFRIMA’s engagement with continental institutions and its role in promoting African music internationally. He said that while African music has gained visibility on global platforms in recent years, structural challenges remain, particularly around investment, professional training and sustainable business models for creatives.
He noted that forums such as the Rabat meeting provide an opportunity for policymakers and industry players to exchange experiences and assess what approaches have been effective in different contexts. He also emphasised the importance of aligning cultural policy with broader development strategies, arguing that the creative sector should be seen as part of national economic planning rather than as a peripheral activity.
Beyond the formal sessions, the forum included networking events aimed at encouraging partnerships between African and international cultural institutions. Mr Dada attended a reception hosted by France’s ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, where participants discussed potential areas of cooperation, including cultural exchange programmes and professional training initiatives.
AFRIMA, established in 2014 with the support of the African Union, is positioned as a continental platform for recognising and promoting African music. Its activities include awards ceremonies, industry conferences and talent development initiatives. Organisers say the platform has contributed to increased international exposure for African artists, although analysts note that broader structural issues in the music industry, such as rights management and revenue distribution, remain unresolved across much of the continent.
The Moroccan Forum of Cultural and Creative Industries forms part of a wider effort by African and international stakeholders to place culture at the centre of development debates. As governments across the continent look for new drivers of growth, the role of creative industries is increasingly being examined alongside more traditional sectors.
While participants at the Rabat forum expressed optimism about the sector’s potential, several speakers cautioned that progress would depend on sustained policy support, reliable data on the economic impact of culture, and stronger institutions capable of supporting creators over the long term.
