The Harvard CSASE Roundtable Expert Discussion and the launch of the 2025 Afrobeats Inaugural Policy Report took place on Thursday, 11th December, at the Delborough Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, bringing together Nigeria’s creative industry elite, senior government officials, academics, and cultural thought leaders for a high-level policy dialogue.
The gathering marked the public unveiling of a landmark policy report by the Harvard Law School & Harvard Centre for African Societies and Economies [CSASE] co-chaired by Professor Ruth Okediji. The Report’s Author, Professor Olufunmilayo B. Arewa, presented the study, titled Afrobeats: Global Rise, Local Realities, and the Future of African Music Economies, offering evidence-based insights into the global success of Afrobeats alongside the structural challenges limiting Africa’s long-term value returns.
The Roundtable hosted in collaboration with Rise Interactive Studios, a creative innovation and economy powerhouse in Nigeria, focused on the urgent need for policy and regulatory interventions to prevent the exploitation of Africa’s creative industries by foreign markets and intermediaries. The Convening had an influential audience of former FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Mr Babatunde Irukera, Esq, HipTV CEO Ayo Animashaun, renowned producers Efe Omorogbe, Tee-Y Mix, ID Cabasa, media personality Do2dtun, CEO of Chocolate City Group, Abuchi Ugwu, Prof Ike Obiaya, Dean of the School of Media and Communication of Pan Atlantic University, Lemi Ghariokwu, the designer responsible for creating several original cover images for the recordings of the legendary Fela Kuti as well as leading legal experts from Olaniwun Ajayi LP and other industry stakeholders.
The Chair of the Event, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, founder of Rise Interactive Studios, opened the ceremony by highlighting the Roundtable’s aim to critically examine Africa’s creative economy, the need to structure IPs properly, audit local and global royalties, package catalogs for licensing and investments, track revenue flows and IP gaps and map data useful for governments, multilaterals and investors to make decisions that will power the growth of Africa’s creative ecosystem.
She mentioned that in 2023, Afrobeats generated an estimated $100 million globally and streaming platforms reported double and triple-digit growth across major markets yet, the financial value flowing back to Nigeria and the continent is disproportionately small, far smaller than the genre’s cultural reach. Africa remains the world’s lowest royalty-collecting region, despite being among the fastest-growing in actual consumption, and this discrepancy is not incidental, it is structural.
The Keynote Address was delivered by the Honourable Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State, Mrs Adetoke Benson-Awoyinka, who highlighted the state’s growing investments in cultural infrastructure, youth talent development, and heritage-driven initiatives supporting the creative sector. She reaffirmed Lagos State’s commitment to ensuring that the global demand for Afrobeats translates into sustainable local economic opportunities.
Further perspectives were offered by Mr Babatunde Irukera, who expanded the conversation to include competition law, market regulation, and consumer protection within Africa’s creative economy. He cautioned that without deliberate policy action, Africa risks becoming an “extraction format”, exporting talent while failing to build enduring local wealth and institutions.
Speaking to HipTV, Commissioner Benson-Awoyinka emphasised the central role of Nigeria’s youth in driving the country’s creative growth, noting, “The demographic of the youth and the creativity we hold very dear is crucial for shaping the future.”
Dr Akerele-Ogunsiji expressed hope that the Roundtable would catalyse concrete policy action while empowering creatives with a clearer understanding of their contractual and intellectual property rights. She emphasised that protecting African intellectual property and strengthening local value chains are essential to ensuring the continent benefits equitably from its cultural exports. “This Convening was designed by Harvard CSASE to drive real, systemic change. Nigeria keeps shaping global culture, so it’s important to build the structures to safeguard the returns. This conversation to chart pragmatic and proactive steps to secure the progress of this dynamic industry in an increasingly extractive global market is timely,” she stated.
Professor Arewa reiterated the report’s focus on long-term structural transformation, noting, “Afrobeats is a key cultural export, and it is in our interest to grow it globally while ensuring African-led frameworks capture lasting value for the continent. This CSASE Report makes clear that Afrobeats is not “just entertainment, it is a strategic export sector. It is soft power. It is jobs. It is national pride. It is families and economies waiting for just returns for their labor”.
She also stressed that at Harvard Law School’s Centre for the Study of African Societies & Economies (CSASE), they amplify, analyse, and advance solutions to Africa’s most pressing challenges, and the Afrobeats Report highlights challenges and possibilities, showcasing the resilience and responsibility necessary to secure the promise of this vibrant industry.
The event ended with concluding remarks from Kike Aluko Wahutu, who expressed appreciation to all the guests and stressed the importance of sustained collaboration between policymakers, scholars, and industry leaders in shaping a resilient and inclusive African creative economy.
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