5TH AFRIMA: BOLA RAY, YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA, BOBI WINE, KEKE OGUNGBE, OBOUR, DJ VAN & OTHERS TO SPEAK AT AFRICA MUSIC BUSINESS SUMMIT (AMBS) IN GHANA

Renowned South African music superstar, Yvonne Chaka Chaka; Ugandan music activist and parliamentarian, Bobi Wine; Internationally acclaimed video and audio disk jockey, DJ Van; Nigerian music executive, Kenny Ogungbe; Ghanaian entertainment and media owner, Bola Ray; and President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, MUSIGA, Bice Osei Kuffour also known as Obour, will be joined by other well-known African and international music Intellects, professionals and enthusiasts for discussions and networking during the 2018 Africa Music Business Summit, AMBS, one of the activities lined up for the 5th All Africa Music Awards (5th AFRIMA-Ghana 2018) scheduled for Thursday, November 22 at the Ballroom, Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra, Ghana.

Holding under the theme: "African Music in a Global Village: Leveraging the Opportunities", AMBS is a platform for business networking and interaction among music professionals, music executives, government officials and other stakeholders in the music, arts, entertainment, and financial sectors of Africa.

It creates an engaging environment for discussions on how the potentials present in the continent's music industry can be fully harnessed for socio-economic gains.

The 5th AFRIMA Summit will be opened with welcome address by Her Excellency, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana, Honourable Catherine Afeku, representative of the government of Republic of Ghana, the Official Host Country of the 5th AFRIMA-Ghana. It will also feature a keynote address from the Commissioner of Social Affairs, African Union Commission, Her Excellency, Mrs. Amira Elfadil.

These will be followed by two panel sessions and each session populated with experienced panelists who have broad ranging professional practice from the relevant sectors of culture, music and entertainment around the globe. The first session will feature a Master Class on Song writing, which will be coordinated by Joe Chialo (Senior Vice President A&R Universal Music Central Europe & Africa).

Ms. Chaka Chaka will deliver the panel paper for the first session on the topic “Africa as a Brand: The Role of Music and Culture”. Confirmed panellists for session one include: Bobi Wine (music artiste, member of Ugandan Parliament, entrepreneur & humanitarian); Bice Osei Kuffour also known as Obour (President, Musicians Union of Ghana, MUSIGA); Gervais Hugues Ondaye (Cultural Operator &  General Director of the International Festival of Traditional Music (FESPAM), Congo Brazzaville); Kenny Ogungbe (Music producer, Record Label owner, television host & Media Owner); Betty G (music artiste & 5th AFRIMA nominee); and Hamza El Fadly (music artiste & 5th AFRIMA nominee).

The paper presentation for the second session will be done by the Democratic Republic of Congo's Cultural Diplomacy Expert, Damien Pwono, who was recently appointed Secretary General of the International Music Council at UNESCO in Paris, on the topic “Building Sustainable Partnerships in the Music Ecosystem". Panellists for this session will include Nat Kwabena Anokye-Adisi also known as Bola Ray (CEO, Excellence in Broadcasting, EIB, Network Ghana); Gaz Mawete (music artiste & 5th AFRIMA nominee); DJ Van (music artiste & 5th AFRIMA nominee); Daphne (music artiste & 5th AFRIMA nominee) and Rab Bakari (Producer, entrepreneur, DJ and artist agent).

Expressing gratitude to AFRIMA for the great opportunity, Ms. Chaka Chaka commented, “I am happy to show my support for the AFRIMA Awards in Ghana. I always say that I am an African first and we need to support one another”.

Attending the summit will be stakeholders in the Arts, Culture and entertainment sectors including; music artiste/songwriters, music producers, record label owners, owners of publishing/entertainment companies, associations of music professional, policymakers in the art and culture sector, lawyers, journalist, students and many more.

Meanwhile, music lovers across the continent and diaspora are in anticipation towards the 5th AFRIMA-GHANA 2018, the awards ceremony will have the Ghanaian-born American actor and comedian, Michael Blackson, South Africa’s talented TV personality, Pearl Thusi, and Ghana's award-winning multilingual media personality, Anita Erskine host the star-studded world-class music event.

The Business Summit will be followed by AFRIMA Music Village also on November 22 from 5.00 p.m. till dawn at the Independence Square, Accra; a Guided Tour of the notable sites and landmarks in the Host City on November 23, and the 5th AFRIMA Nominees Party from 10.00 p.m.; while the main awards ceremony will hold on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at the Accra International Conference Centre, AICC, Ghana. The 5th AFRIMA, Ghana 2018 will be broadcast live to over 84 countries around the world.