AFRIMA Founder Mike Dada Joins African Collaborations Group Advisory Board
African Collaborations Group (ACG) has appointed Mike Dada, Founder and President of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), to its Advisory Board. The appointment will support ACG’s efforts to develop sport and entertainment districts across Africa.
Based in Dubai, ACG is a strategic project origination and collaboration platform. It focuses on the development of financially sustainable sport and entertainment district ecosystems across the continent.
Mike Dada Brings Pan-African Cultural Leadership
Mike Dada founded AFRIMA in 2014 in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC). The platform celebrates and promotes African music globally. It also supports continental integration, economic growth and cultural diplomacy.
Today, AFRIMA reaches audiences in more than 84 countries through live broadcasts. It also brings together artists, delegates and production teams from across Africa, making it an important platform for the continent’s music industry.
In addition, Dada serves as Vice President of the African Union’s Pan-African Congress. In this role, he led the development of the AU’s Plan of Action on Culture and Creative Industries. The African Union Heads of State Summit adopted the policy framework in 2023 to guide the growth of Africa’s cultural and creative economy.
He also serves on the Africa Policy Advisory Board (APAB) for the ONE Campaign, where he contributes to policy discussions on African development priorities.
Strengthening ACG’s Sport and Entertainment Vision
Dada’s appointment supports ACG’s approach to developing sport and entertainment as connected sectors. While AFRIMA has built a platform for African music to reach global audiences, ACG aims to develop the physical and financial infrastructure that supports the wider creative economy.
Through sport and entertainment districts, ACG seeks to create spaces where creative industries can produce, stage and commercialise their work. Dada’s experience in cultural leadership, policy development and pan-African industry networks is expected to support this vision.
He also brings professional experience as a lawyer and creative economy specialist. These skills will contribute to ACG’s work on large-scale projects across the continent.
Commenting on the appointment, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Executive Chairman of ACG, said:
“Mike Dada brings to our Advisory Board a rare combination of continental cultural infrastructure leadership and Heads of State-level policy positioning. Through AFRIMA, he has built one of the most important continental cultural infrastructures Africa has, and through his leadership at the AU Pan-African Congress, he has shaped the very policy framework that guides the industrialisation of Africa’s creative economy at Heads of State level. That combination — commercial infrastructure and continental policy leadership — is exactly what ACG needs as we originate bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems across the African continent, projects that must be aligned with the continent’s highest institutional cultural agendas and connected to the industry networks that will bring them to life. His presence on our Advisory Board is a genuine strategic asset,”
Developing Sport and Entertainment Districts Across Africa
ACG’s Advisory Board provides strategic guidance as the organisation develops large-scale sport and entertainment district projects. The platform brings together governments, development finance institutions (DFIs), investors, sports organisations and infrastructure partners.
Africa’s sports economy is projected to reach $20 billion by 2035. However, the continent still needs integrated districts that can support large-scale development.
To address this gap, ACG focuses on mixed-use projects that move beyond single-venue development. These districts aim to generate revenue and remain financially sustainable over the long term.
ACG’s collaborative model connects public and private sector partners. These include governments, public-private partnership (PPP) authorities, regulators, investors, developers, designers, engineers, legal and transaction advisers, sports federations, leagues, event promoters and media partners.
The organisation also works to involve academic institutions and host communities. Together, these stakeholders can help move projects from early concepts to feasibility, financial planning and delivery.
With Dada joining its Advisory Board, ACG aims to strengthen the link between Africa’s cultural industries and the infrastructure needed to support the growth of sport and entertainment across the continent.
