AFRIMA President Mike Dada leads high-level delegation on landmark six-day Casablanca strategic visit from 21 June 2026 to strengthen partnerships and assess hosting potential for the awards in Morocco
The All Africa Music Awards president and executive producer Mike Dada has led a high-level AFRIMA delegation to Casablanca, Morocco, where the team began a six-day strategic visit on Sunday, 21 June 2026, to strengthen pan-African partnerships and assess the city’s readiness to potentially host future editions of the prestigious awards.
Mike Dada, alongside senior officials from the African Union Commission and AFRIMA’s regional directors, arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco’s economic capital for a series of high-level meetings with government officials, corporate leaders, media stakeholders, and creative industry professionals. The visit forms a key part of the Road to the 10th AFRIMA campaign.
The delegation will hold discussions with partners including Big Time Morocco and the AFRIMA Ambassador for Morocco, Ahmed Soultan, while inspecting venues, hospitality facilities, and infrastructure.
A major highlight will be the Creative and Media Soirée scheduled for Tuesday, 23 June 2026, at the Marriott Hotel, offering opportunities for networking and collaboration.
This Casablanca engagement follows successful activations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in January and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in March. It underscores AFRIMA’s commitment to inclusive continental outreach that bridges North and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking ahead of the visit, AFRIMA Director of Brand Communications and Sponsorship Matlou Tsotetsi described Casablanca as a powerful symbol of unity.
“Casablanca remains one of Africa’s most important cultural and creative hubs,” she said, adding that the visit represents “acts of continental healing” and genuine pan-African solidarity.
Jamal Abdennassar, representing Big Time Morocco, expressed delight at hosting the delegation. “Casablanca is honoured to host AFRIMA for this important strategic engagement,” he stated.
“We look forward to productive discussions and demonstrating our readiness to host one of Africa’s most celebrated cultural events.”
AFRIMA, run in partnership with the African Union Commission, remains the longest-running music awards platform on the continent and is broadcast to over 84 countries.
The strategic visits aim to promote cultural exchange, tourism, and economic opportunities through the creative industries.
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The six-day programme also includes participation in local cultural and music festivals to experience Morocco’s vibrant creative ecosystem.
Observers view the engagement as a positive step toward greater regional inclusion in Africa’s premier music awards, even as questions remain about the exact timeline for any future hosting of the main event in Casablanca.
As the delegation continues its engagements this week, the visit is expected to yield new partnerships and deeper appreciation of Morocco’s growing role in the continental entertainment landscape.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
