The Grammy Africa Awards could be launched around 2029 or 2030, according to Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, Chief Executive Officer of GUBA Enterprise.
Dentaa, who also serves as a consultant to the Chief Executive Officer of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., revealed on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio that although the initiative was announced in 2024, it will take years to build the necessary structures.
“It’s going to be a long process because it needs to establish that membership. So it’s something that is going to happen maybe 2029, 2030. It’s going to take a while. Africa is big and there are a lot of different genres of music,” she explained.
So far, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Rwanda have been earmarked as potential hosts once the scheme begins.
When asked why Ghana was not listed, Dentaa said: “There is a financial commitment that is involved which is quite heavy for government, so that is why some of the countries have not been able to be part of it.”
In 2024, the Recording Academy, organisers of the Grammy Awards, announced plans to create an African version of the scheme to serve the continent’s music industry and expand its global footprint, similar to the Latin Grammys introduced in 1997.
As part of the initiative, the Academy signed agreements with Ministries of Culture and cultural stakeholders across Africa and the Middle East. Partner institutions include the Ministries of Culture in Kenya, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, the Rwanda Development Board, and South Africa’s Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture. Memoranda of Understanding have also been signed with Ghana and Ivory Coast.
“This is exciting because music is one of humanity’s greatest natural resources,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “It is critical that the people who dedicate themselves to creating music have support, resources and opportunities, no matter where they are from.”
The Academy’s leadership spent two years touring the regions, holding listening sessions, meeting governments, and engaging music creators to understand the industry’s needs.
In 2023, the Recording Academy introduced a new category, Best African Music Performance, which features genres such as highlife and Ghanaian drill. It was launched alongside Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.
The category followed earlier discussions about introducing an Afrobeats award. During his visit to Ghana in 2022, Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed that the Academy was carefully considering the best ways to represent African music at the Grammys.
Source: Kwame Dadzie