ACCES 2020 cancelled

The annual conference was slated to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 26, 27 and 28 November. The Foundation's directorate and board have been monitoring developments since the outbreak of the pandemic and have now made the decision with a view to ensure the safety and security of delegates, showcasing artists and everyone else involved in the event.

The decision is also based on ongoing worldwide travel bans that will make it impossible for participants and the organising team to travel freely to and from the host country.

"It is with great sadness that we have to announce the cancellation of this year's ACCES," MIAF director Eddie Hatitye said. "We have been weighing up our options and feel that our greatest duty is to keep everyone safe. ACCES is about connecting music industry players from around the world to create opportunities for our African talent. It is clear that we cannot achieve this goal this year. We have also decided that there will be no digital edition this year."

Next edition and venue

The fourth edition of ACCES will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 25, 26 and 27 November 2021.

Last year, the conference was held in Accra, where more than 2 700 individuals from 50 countries gathered in the Ghanaian capital to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages.

All is not lost for selected participants

The MIAF will ensure that participants who have been selected for the 2020 conference – including showcasing artists, speakers, presenters, crew, trainees and others – will have guaranteed slots at the next edition. Delegates and exhibitors who have already registered for the event will also see their registrations carried over to next year.

ACCES 2020's cancelation comes at a time when the MIAF is rolling out two exciting new projects that will support musicians during the COVID-19 crisis, namely the Revenue Streams for African Musicians (RSFAM) project, and the Music In Africa Live (MIAL) project. More details about these projects will be shared soon.

About ACCES

The Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases, or simply ACCES, is a pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe.

ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut.

For more information about the conference, visit the official ACCES website.

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