Now that Ecobankmobile*326# has thrown its financial
muscle behind AFRIMA, there is a glimmer of hope that the Mr. Mike Dada founded award ceremony, is gradually living off the apron strings of governments.
The financial giant through its Managing Director, Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan, recently announced its partnership with AFRIMA.
According to Mr. Akinwuntan, the partnership “is one of the several initiatives by the Pan African Bank to boost tourism, culture and the entertainment industry in Africa.”
He further said that it is in line with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s initiative for banks to support the growth of the creative industry in the county.
Though, he was silent on the duration of the partnership, the development, like what UBA, did with AMAA some years ago, is a welcome development now that banks are now promoters and sponsors of creative events.
“As the Pan-African bank, Ecobank, is proud to partner with Africa’s most renowned music awards, which is a symbol of our support to building the family and lifestyle of Africans. Ecobankmobile *326# is joining AFRIMA to ensure that the Lagos show is a success,“ he stated.
Mr. Akinwuntan said “Ecobankmobile *326#, Ecobankpay, Ecobankmobile App, Ecobankxpress Account are bringing easy, affordable and convenient financial services to the youth, entrepreneurs and businesses, both local and foreign, which are expected at the events.
“Our products interact with the lifestyle of Africans. Ecobankmobile *326# makes it easy to open an instant account, make transfers, pay Bill’s and buy airtime. Our integrated Ecobankmobile App works seamlessly across all 33 countries where Ecobank operates in Africa; also, the EcobankPay offers customers a multi-channel payment experience that includes Mobile QR payment at merchant stores. The channel has a distinct advantage of supporting the three main payment schemes, Masterpass, mVisa and mCash thereby broadening acceptability regardless of which bank a client makes payment from. Merchant QR is set up via Facebook Messenger as well as USSD payment for feature phone users.”
Also speaking, President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr. Mike Dada, said,“The AFRIMA-Ecobank partnership for the 6th All Africa Music Awards brings together deep skills in financial and culture industries strategy, product ideation, technology development and deployment and organizational change management to help support African communities for successful socio-economic transformations.”
Between November 21 to 23, Mr. Dada and his African Union backed AFRIMA, will lock down Lagos.
The award, which started some six years ago will take place at Eko Hotel and Suites, the venue where held since it was founded except for the 2018 edition in Accra, Ghana.
According to the organisers, the three-day event will start with a Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) visit to a primary school situated in Lagos State on Thursday, November 21, then, an AFRIMA Music Village Setting at Agege Stadium, Agege Lagos, slated for the same Thursday, November 21. The AFRIMA Music Village is a 12-hour concert-style music festival, which starts at 6.00p.m with live performances from A-list and upcoming artistes including AFRIMA nominees, as well as past AFRIMA winners.
On Friday it will be the turn of Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS) on November 22 at the Grand Ballroom, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. It is an annual summit of networking and interaction among music professionals, music executives, government officials and other stakeholders in the music, media and financial sectors of Africa. It sets an atmosphere for discussions on the potentials present in the African music industry and ways to harness its socio-economic gains.
Exclusive Nominees Party will follow later in the evening of Friday, the 6th AFRIMA Nominees party is Tagged ‘Fire and Ice’. The exclusive party for this year’s nominees has a few surprises in store for the guests and it promises to be a night of extreme fun and social interactions.
Main Awards Night
Saturday, November 23 ushers in the main awards event at Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, which commences at 4.00 p.m. with the live Red Carpet where African music stars and other invited guests display their glamour and impeccable African fashion sense for the audience watching around the world while being interviewed by the 6th AFRIMA celebrity red carpet hosts. The live broadcast main awards ceremony following at 7.30 p.m is conceptualised to celebrate African creativity and culture in all its splendour as well as reward African artistes who emerge winners in the 36 AFRIMA continental and regional categories ranging from the classic, contemporary to traditional genres of music. The awards ceremony programme will also specially recognise and honour African music veterans with the 2019 AFRIMA Legend Award.
But beyond the razzamatazz or show aspect of the award, has AFRIMA met the business side of the show. Has it broken even. Has the organisers been able to attract corporate Nigeria or as its name indicates, corporate Africa, to key into it. Has a AU, which the organisers say partners with it, been able to help attract companies in Africa to support the award. Has it even been able to get member countries of AU to play host to the award. Has reportage of the event gone beyond who won what award, has emphasis been placed on the business side of the show? After all, it is a show business event.
Aside financial support from Lagos State in the days of former governor Akinwunmi Ambode, it is very doubtful if the show has broken even.
The answer to above questions on the sustainability of the show is yes and no; yes in the sense that with the coming of ECOBANK it is beginning to attract private sector support; no, because with the magnitude of the show the organisers put up every year, AFRIMA, ought to be bombarded with sponsorship deal from all over Africa. But such is not the case. It is left at the mercy of government unlike its counterparts such as GRAMMY, OSCARS, EMMY that runs on private sector support. It is hoped that with the arrival of ECOBANK, many more will come in future because AFRIMA has not received the kind of support it ought to get from companies that mouth their readiness to support creative industry and its practitioners.
But then, how well has AFRIMA sell itself to the potential sponsors in the face of sponsorship support it got from Ambode? These and many more are the questions stakeholders have been asking.
By Charles Okogene
