NEFCISA
NEFCISA

The Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) is proud of its partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as a Strategic Implementing Partner (SIP) for its Social Employment Fund (SEF). Through this collaboration, MIAF is running a national programme that is creating jobs, addressing skills gaps, and strengthening South Africa's creative industries — in line with the SEF's overarching goal to generate work for the common good and build community value through employment, social contribution, and inclusive economic participation. Operating under the banner NEFCISA (National Employment Facility for Creative Industries in South Africa), the initiative is recruiting and training participants, matching them with host organisations, and has already placed 1 500 workers across the country — surpassing its original target of 1 000. NEFCISA is delivered through a network of 20 host organisations spanning five provinces, who are actively hosting participants and contributing to work for the common good across South Africa's creative and cultural industries. Key Objectives: Support employment and entrepreneurship in the creative industries. Offer skills development and training programmes. Foster partnerships between public and private creative sectors. Promote South African creativity at both provincial and national levels Foster community development through social contribution.

ACCES
ACCES

ACCES Conference and Showcase Festival is Africa's leading music industry gathering, bringing together the people shaping the future of the continent's music business. Artists, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, policymakers and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world come to ACCES to build partnerships, exchange ideas, discover talent and create new business opportunities. Since its launch in 2017, ACCES has become the continent's premier platform for professional exchange and music market development. Combining a high-level conference with a curated showcase festival, networking, exhibitions and industry programmes, ACCES offers a unique space where creativity meets business and where African music connects with the global industry.

Gender@Work
Gender@Work

Music In Africa Gender @ Work is a three-year training programme aimed at upskilling and increasing the participation of female professionals in the African music sector. Launched by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) in April 2019, the programme is connected to the MIAF’s ACCES music conference – a pan-African event held in a different African country every year. This connection enables the programme to reach new participants in a different African country every year. The programme marks the beginning of a more concerted effort by the Foundation to support the participation and inclusion of women in all facets of its programmes and the music sector in Africa as a whole. Over the three years, the programme will aim to address gender imbalances in the sector through training, lobbying, facilitating knowledge exchange and dialogues that foster the interest of women. The broader objectives of the programme are to: Provide industry training for women on critical music industry skills, focusing on: Stage management Electronic music production and recording Music business management Technical knowledge Provide an opportunity for both professional and aspiring women to benefit from the Music In Africa network and its broad range of activities in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Provide a solution-based platform in the form of a round table at ACCES with a view to identify challenges, discuss opportunities and lobby for the interests of female practitioners. Offer participants the opportunity to benefit from programmes offered by MIAF’s partners. Increase access to educational materials. Integrate participants in the broader ACCES programme to maximise experience and exposure to the industry. Record and present training materials on the www.musicinafrica.net, including but not limited to tutorials, templates and other best-practice materials. Communicate women-based themes that support the initiatives and messages of the programme. MAIN TRAINING ACTIVITIES Training in first country (Ghana): In the first year, participants will be trained on all aspects of stage management by a team of experienced stage managers from 10 to 17 November 2019. The programme will offer robust classroom training as well as practical, hands-on training in which participants will also be given the opportunity to manage various aspects of the ACCES performance programme. Training in second country: The second training iteration will take place at ACCES 2020 when the programme will diversify its course to include music production lessons and training on other music business topics. A round-table platform will also be introduced to coincide with the ACCES programme. Training in third country: The third training iteration will take place at ACCES 2021 in a different country, offering an advanced course. HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED?  As a participant, facilitator or trainer: The programme enrolls up to 12 trainees every year. All opportunities are advertised publicly on this website, and will be added to this page. Please keep checking this page for new calls (below under UPDATES & CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES). As a partner Please contact Claire Metais at [email protected]. APPLY The call for applications for 2020 will be announced soon. The Music In Africa Gender @ Work programme is made possible with the support of the Prince Claus Fund, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut.

Sound Connects Fund
Sound Connects Fund

For cultural and creative practitioners and organisations operating in southern Africa, access to funding remains a major challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a massive impact on government policy, spending and the economy in general, and has seen spending on culture being moved further down the list of priorities. Further, the cultural and creative industries repeatedly cite four main areas where investment is needed for growth, which are increased visibility, mobility including access to new markets, finance and support structures.

Instrument Building And Repair Project
Instrument Building And Repair Project

Experience the Vibrations African Instruments Exhibition online in 3D

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Bukavu, Congo (Kinshasa)

In operation since:

2021

Contact person:

Freed Mushaga

BIO

Freed Mushaga is a dynamic African Soul/Pop, Ethnofolk and African Jazz artist from war-torn Bukavu, DRC, known for his scenic energy and power, vigorous voice, and artistic innovation echoing giants like Michael Jackson at the same time as Angélique Kidjo, Ella Fitzgerald or Lokua Kanza. Mushaga has created a distinctive blend of organic local music from Bukavu, global sounds, and African pop with a classically-trained-like finesse, although self-taught. Since 2020, when it all started, he has steadily built a reputation for combining artistic excellence with social engagement, crafting songs that explore identity, resilience, love, dignity, and belonging across his diverse discography, projects, and collaborations.

His sound, often referred to as spiritually deep and heavy, has resonated deeply with audiences across Africa and beyond, earning him recognition and validation (Finalist of #sixtypercentofus challenge Nigeria 2022, MCM of Anyiko PR Kenya in April 2025; Lokua Kanza, Gérald Toto, Jaja Bashengezi’s validation), and enabling him to share stages with renowned names like Alesh, Sylent Nqo, Anzo Ngubeni, Taya König-Tarasevich or DJ Vadim. As a proud member of the East African Records collective in Uganda and of the Global Impact Musician Program, Freed has won over fans with standout performances and residencies across major cities in Africa, from Nairobi, to Harare, Joburg, Cape Town, and, recently, in 2026, in Madison, WI, USA, with plans to tour soon West Africa. His appearances at major festivals and events in Eastern, Southern Africa and Mid-West America have solidified his reputation as a very powerful and social-impact creative, while his growing media presence and ongoing tours reflect his enduring mission to share his art with the world. After his Je Suis - The Live Experience release later 2025, Freed announces the release of single #samana in collaboration with Belgian Spoken Word Artist Joy Slam on September 4, after which an even bigger project will be coming out.

Freed plays an even wider role in the music sector in Africa. He leads JUA ASBL that is an organization based in Goma, DRC that aims at empowering musicians from the Great Lakes Region to evolve professionally and to use their music as a tool for social commitment in a region fractured by conflicts. As part of that, he has led several initiatives including JUA - The Double Concert, through which he co-won the Music In Africa Live Grant 2022  , JUA - WORLD MUSIC MEETING, and several volunteering endeavors in collaboration with the Kilele Summit , Music In Africa Foundation's ACCES and more.

Music

Samana

Freed Mushaga
04:46

Tena na tena (Live)

Freed Mushaga
05:35

Lakum (Live)

Freed Mushaga
06:50

Attends (Live)

Freed Mushaga
06:04

Hela (Live)

Freed Mushaga
03:24

Samana (Live)

Freed Mushaga
04:16

S.O.T / Mourning (Live)

Freed Mushaga
06:45

The Front Revisited (Live)

Freed Mushaga
02:56

Intro (Live)

Freed Mushaga
04:39

Sema Nami (Live)

Freed Mushaga
04:52

Je Suis (Live)

Freed Mushaga
05:00

Je suis

Freed Mushaga
02:45
Freed Mushaga

Freed Mushaga

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Disclaimer: Music In Africa provides a platform for musicians and contributors to embed music and videos solely for promotional purposes. If any track or video embedded on this platform violates any copyrights please inform us immediately and we will take it down. Please read our Terms of Use for more.

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