Ivory Coast to lead Universal Music’s operations in Francophone Africa

The global giant signed a deal with P-Square three years before, it got into an agreement with Namibia’s Gazza Music Production in 2015 and it inked deals with South African acts Mafikizolo and Revolution. Only recently, Nigerian pop act Tekno announced a distribution deal with the company, which has opened an office in Lagos.

It has now opened a new office in Ivory Coast’s capital city Abidjan. The office will be in charge of Universal Music’s interest across the countries making up Francophone Africa.

This would require the Abidjan central office to oversee operations in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles and Togo.

Moussa Soumbounou, a renowned music executive, is to lead operations at the new regional office. As managing director of Universal Music’s central Francophone office, Soumbounou will work with the company’s France office head, Olivier Nusse.

In a statement, Nusse expressed delight about the new office and its boss. "I am delighted to announce the expansion of our strategic operations across Africa under the leadership of Moussa Soumbounou and his team, which will not only help us to discover and release new talent throughout Africa and other French-speaking markets around the world, but will also increase the creative, commercial, digital and live opportunities available for these artists locally, in France and now globally,” Nusse said.

The Abidjan office will seek to find and develop music talent across the region as it partners with already established Universal Music Group interests in other parts of Africa, including Anglophone Africa and North Africa.

The new office, says the company, “will offer artists comprehensive opportunities throughout the region and provide pan-African talent the best possible launch pad for wider international succes”.

Already, Ivorian artists Kiff No Beat and DJ Arafat, Cameroon's Locko and Tenor, as well as Togolese duo Toofan, have been signed by the company.