Sony Music Publishing Nigeria’s Godwin Tom to speak at ACCES 2022

Registrations for ACCES 2022 are now open on a first-come, first-served basis. African delegates register for free.

Tom is also the founder of the Music Business Academy and the executive director of iManage Africa. He has worked with or managed stars such as MI Abaga, Wizkid, Waje, Davido and Rooftop MCs, among many others.

“I hope to share some very useful and interesting things we have discovered along the way and how we have managed to encourage higher participation from women in the past years,” Godwin told Music In Africa. “It still shocks me that with over 1 200 universities across the continent, none of these schools see the need to offer music business as a course, even though any slightly successful artist has the potential to offer three to 10 jobs.

“I am hoping that people leave the conference with a greater appreciation for the work that Sony Music Publishing is planning to do in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa through education and platforms like MBA for Africa.”

Joining the speakers’ roster are fast-rising singer Abigail (Tanzania) and Rwandese-born DJ, event producer, radio and TV host Eric Soul, who is the creative force behind of the Afropean music network AFROGROOV.

Other respected music professionals who will make an appearance on the ACCES 2022 programme include Vibrations Magazine founder Elisabeth Stoudmann (Switzerland), who boasts more than 15 years specialising in the music and cultural scene in African countries such as Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast, and David Tinning (Kenya), a co-founder of Santuri East Africa, which offers courses for music producers in Nairobi that balance technical skills with community and culture-focused topics.

Featuring a dynamic pool of local and international speakers, businesses and showcasing artists, ACCES offers a strong conference programme that includes industry talks, pitch and networking sessions, workshops, exhibitions, awards, and music performances.

Some nine showcasing acts have been announced to date, including SinaUbi Zawose (Tanzania), Oumar Konaté (Mali), Flying Bantu (Zimbabwe), Joyce Babatunde (Cameroon), Naïnako (Madagascar), Vitali Maembe & Watupa Mawe (Tanzania), TaraJazz Zanzibar (Tanzania), Tofa Jaxx (Tanzania) and Kalam La Reine du Kundé (Burkina Faso). More speaker and showcasing artist announcements will be made soon.

Previously announced ACCES 2022 speakers:

• Chioma Onuchukwu – head of TuneCore for West and East Africa (Nigeria)
• Natasha Stambuli – general manager, Boomplay Tanzania (Tanzania)
• Jusnah Gadi – founder, Young Music Boss (UK)
• Sevi Spanoudi – CEO, Black Major (South Africa)
• Karabo Senna – sales and licensing general manager, Southern African Music Rights Organisation (South Africa)
• Baraka Issadu – director, Action Music Tanzania (Tanzania)
• Thando Makhunga – managing director, Sheer Publishing Africa (South Africa)
• Yusuf Mahmoud – festival director, Sauti za Busara (Tanzania)
• Gareth Wilson – A&R exec, Electromode/Ingrooves (South Africa)
• Islam Elbeiti – musician and cultural curator (Sudan)
• Ghita Khaldi – production director, EAC L'Boulvart (Morocco)
• Ade Bantu – founder, Afropolitan Vibes (Nigeria)
• Eddie Hatitye – director, Music In Africa Foundation (South Africa)

Register for ACCES 2022 here.

About ACCES

ACCES is a pan-African trade show 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 pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut, the Tanzanian Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sports and Alliance Française.

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