Dear colleagues, members, partners and friends of the Music in Africa Foundation. It gives me great pleasure to share my first report as Chairperson of the Foundation. As one of its founding members, I have a great passion for this organisation. I strongly believe our work is crucial for the advancement
of the music sector and the continental creative economy as a whole.

The MIAF has grown massively since its birth as a small project in 2011 and I must take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all whose relentless efforts have brought the MIAF to where it is today. I want to acknowledge, in particular, the Board, Directorate and our key partners, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut, for their dedication and commitment.

The year under review has been a particularly strong one for the MIAF. We are all aware that the world has been grappling with the devastating effects of COVID-19, bringing economic hardship and other unprecedented threats to the creative sector, including organisations such as ours. In spite of this challenging backdrop, the MIAF has fully delivered on its strategic priorities by successfully implementing developmental projects of different shapes and sizes across the continent at a time when other organisations made cutbacks on such activities.

Our focus has remained firmly rooted in supporting African musicians and all who operate in the cultural and creative industries. Shifts across our sector demanded that the MIAF demonstrate great agility in continuing to meet the core needs of our beneficiaries.

In the past two years, the MIAF has built an impressive list of new programmes and initiatives that address the changing climate of our industry. These include the Revenue Streams for African Musicians (RSFAM) project, which aims at helping musicians to increase their revenues, the Music In Africa Live fund, which funds artists to stage showcases and build their capacities, the Sound Connects Fund, a grouund-breaking developmental
fund for Southern Africa, and MusicXwords, which offers touring, capacity-building and exchange opportunities for creatives in South Africa.

The cumulative value of these new initiatives – together with our other long-term projects including ACCES, the Music In Africa portal and the Instrument Building and Repair project – position the MIAF as a leading institution with solid purpose, values and strategies to meet the evolving demands with immeasurable benefits for all who are creating or are connected to African music.

Mr. Yusuf Mahmoud – Chairperson