Fez — AFRIMA President and Executive Producer Mike Dada has highlighted Morocco’s strategic role in promoting African music globally during a Casablanca meeting organized as part of the “Road to the 10th AFRIMA” campaign.
The event took place on Tuesday at the Casablanca Marriott Hotel, bringing together media professionals, music industry actors, cultural operators, Moroccan stars, creative entrepreneurs, and figures from the entertainment sector.
Organized by Big Time agency in partnership with AFRIMA, the meeting formed part of the official visit of an AFRIMA delegation to Morocco. The delegation, led by Dada, includes senior regional officials from the All Africa Music Awards platform.
Casablanca as a creative bridge
Speaking to MWN Lifestyle magazine, Dada said AFRIMA chose Morocco because of its position between African regions and wider international markets.
“Northern Africa and the Middle East are key elements in developing and promoting African music globally, and we feel the perfect place to be is Morocco. The perfect city is Casablanca,” he said.
He added that the Casablanca stop is meant to connect AFRIMA with “the media, the music industry players, the artists, the producers, the music record label and the record company owners.”
Dada said the visit also reflects AFRIMA’s broader work with the African Union to use music as a tool for unity, cultural diplomacy, and economic growth across the continent.
A platform for African integration
The Casablanca meeting focused on “African integration through creative and innovative industries,” while also highlighting Morocco’s growing profile as a creative hub for the continent.
The program included a presentation of AFRIMA’s vision ahead of its 10th anniversary, exchanges with AFRIMA leaders, promotion of the platform among Moroccan artists, and a networking session with creative sector professionals.
Moroccan artist Ahmed Soultan, AFRIMA Ambassador for the region, also attended the meeting. His presence underlined the role of Moroccan talent in the pan-African cultural movement that AFRIMA seeks to promote.
Dada said AFRIMA’s biggest achievement is not limited to awards ceremonies, but to the collaboration it has built across countries, cities, and creative communities.
“What I am proud of is the collaboration that comes with AFRIMA, with different people from different countries around the world coming together to continue to sustain the growth and development of African music globally through the platform of AFRIMA,” he told MWN Lifestyle magazine.
AFRIMA looks toward Lagos
AFRIMA’s official announcement said the Morocco visit runs from June 21 to 26 and forms part of the platform’s continental stakeholder engagement program ahead of its 10th edition. The visit is being carried out in partnership with Big Time Morocco, with support from Ahmed Soultan and other partners.
The Casablanca stop follows other “Road to the 10th Edition” activations in Dar es Salaam and Abidjan, as AFRIMA works to strengthen its ties with music and cultural ecosystems across Africa.
For Dada, the mission is also about telling Africa’s story through music and supporting the industry’s global growth.
He said AFRIMA aims to use African music “to unite the people, reduce poverty on the continent, and use it to tell the story of the continent around the world.”
“AFRIMA 10th edition, that will be coming up in Lagos next year,” he told MWN Lifestyle magazine.
