Ghana to join Rwanda as host nation for Move Afrika 2024 event

Ghana will join Rwanda as a host city for this year's Move Afrika, a Global Citizen Experience tour.

Move Afrika is a long-term, large-scale effort to pioneer an international music touring circuit across Africa, driving economic investment, job creation and supporting entrepreneurship opportunities in each host country.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Global Citizen and Creative Imprint ppLang, announcing the tour said pgLang serves as the Move Afrika tour's curator.

A statement issued in Accra by the organisers said the announcement was made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

This followed the inaugural Move Afrika in Rwanda, headlined by Grammy Award, Pulitzer Prize winning artist Kendrick Lamar, created by Global Citizen and pgLang, alongside the Rwanda Development Board.

It said the past event held in Rwanda employed more than 1000 Rwandans, and engaged 75 per cent local crew and production staff, with focus on creating opportunities for skill development.

The statement said the show also featured performances by Zuchu, Bruce Melodie, DJ TOXXYK, Sherrie Silver, Ariel Wayz, Kivumbi King and Bruce the first.

It said Global Citizen was honoured to return to Ghana this year with Move Afrika, following the unforgettable Global Citizen Festival held in Accra in 2022.

“The Ghanaian government's post-event analysis found the festival's social and economic impact was vast, where more than $15 million was injected into the economy from activity such as production spending, hotels, transport, advertising and security,” it added.

The statement said over 5000 people traveled to Ghana for the festival with more than 1000 Ghanaians employed as part of the event and over 2 million actions were taken by Global Citizens as part of advocacy efforts to “End Extreme Poverty NOW.”

It said the first Move Afrika event, held in Kigali in December 2023, signaled the launch of an annual, multi-country tour, changing the face of live entertainment in Africa and investing in local economies, skill training and youth entrepreneurship.

The statement said each year, additional countries would be added to the Move Afrika tour schedule, which aimed to expand to three countries in 2024, and five countries by 2025.

It said Move Afrika would set a new gold-standard for entertainment touring across the continent, adding that over time, these events would increase demand from international and regional artists and build local capacity and scale the live entertainment sector within host cities.

President Akuffo-Addo expressed excitement over joining Rwanda in becoming the next destination for Global Citizen's multi-year, multi-market pan-African tour.

“Expect continued impact in the years ahead, today, we celebrate this milestone for Ghana. We look forward to future announcements on this growing cohort of Move Afrika destinations,” he added.

President Kagame congratulated Ghana for the partnership with Move Afrika.

“Global Citizen's commitment to develop the workforce needed for professional concert tours will leave an important economic legacy for our region,” he added.

Mr Kweku Mandela, Chief Vision Officer, Global Citizen, said, “we are honored to bring Move Afrika to Ghana, our partnership with the Ghanaian and Rwandan governments will showcase the best of African creative talent to the world, while generating economic investment.”

GNA