Lagos, Nigeria – Lagos State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, has described Afrobeats as a youth-led economic engine and one of Africa’s most influential exports. She spoke during the global launch of the 2025 Afrobeats Inaugural Policy Report hosted by Harvard University’s Centre for African Societies and Economies at Delborog Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Friday.
Speaking to an audience of scholars, policymakers, and creative leaders, Benson-Awoyinka said Afrobeats is no longer just a cultural trend but a major contributor to economic growth, job creation, and Africa’s global influence. She stressed that culture functions as infrastructure, technology, policy, and national identity, noting that empowering young creatives builds industries that support wider development.
Lagos has become a creative hub under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda, expanding talent development programmes, cultural infrastructure, and international partnerships. These efforts align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which identifies the orange economy including music, film, fashion, animation, gaming, and design as a key driver of national development.
Benson-Awoyinka urged stronger legal and economic frameworks to secure Afrobeats’ future. She called for improvements in intellectual property protection, royalty systems, cross-border trade, creative financing, anti-piracy enforcement, and collaboration between public and private sectors. She also praised Harvard Law School’s research on IP rights in African creative industries.
The Commissioner paid tribute to Afrobeats pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti for his global cultural impact and foundational influence on the genre. She described the 2025 Policy Report, co-produced by Harvard CSASE and Rise Interactive Studios, as the first comprehensive framework to guide policymakers and investors in building a sustainable Afrobeats economy.
The report highlighted issues including opaque royalty systems, undeveloped African touring markets, informal contracting practices, weak local data, and extractive global industry structures. Recommended actions focus on strengthening regulatory frameworks, local financial ecosystems, live-performance markets, creative-economy data strategies, and African-centred IP and contracting models.
Benson-Awoyinka called on global investors, institutions, and innovation hubs to collaborate with Lagos in developing Africa’s creative economy.
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