Nigerian music executive Motolani Alake has stated that African music has become a powerful tool for drawing global attention to the continent.
However, he noted that despite this achievement, African governments have not done enough to support the industry’s growing potential.
In an interview on Hitz FM on July 1, 2025, Motolani explained that the rise of African music has helped spotlight other areas of African culture, including film, fashion, and the arts.
He noted that African music should be seen as more than just entertainment, but as a valuable product that is helping to open doors and create international opportunities for African creatives.
According to him, the popularity of African music across the world has made it easier for African talents to get noticed, and this has led to life-changing opportunities for many people on the continent.
However, despite the growth and potential of the music industry, Alake said African governments have failed to play their part in supporting or investing in the sector.
“African music is now a commodity, I don’t want to say Afrobeats, I think that might be limited. African music is a commodity; it is a product that we are using to attract people to come and see the rest of our culture and it’s influencing our film industry and fashion industry.
“We’re seeing a lot of people get opportunities and lives are getting changed. I think we’re better because of some of those opportunities because of what the eyeballs are brought. I don’t think our governments have really assisted us,” Motolani stated.
Africa is a commodity we use to attract people to come and see our culture. – @OneMotolani #DaybreakHitz pic.twitter.com/fwReju3mgY
— Hitz 103.9 FM (@Hitz1039FM) July 1, 2025
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