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The Managing Director of Africa at Global Citizen, Iphie Chuks-Adizue, discusses with JUSTICE OKAMGBA the importance of partnerships, local talent development, and capacity building as key strategies to unlock Africa’s creative economy
Before joining Global Citizen you were involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work. Tell us about it
Yes, I have always been a passionate advocate for women. I am the founder of the Uncommon Woman Movement – an online platform aimed at supporting career women to achieve greater impact and fulfilment within and even beyond the scope of their full-time jobs, without dropping any of the balls that matter like our health, homes, or jobs. I am also the author of two books – The Uncommon Woman and Made for MORE.
What is the mission and objective of Global Citizen?
Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organisation on a mission to end extreme poverty. Powered by a worldwide community of everyday activists raising their voices and taking action, our movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, public policy, media, philanthropy, and the corporate sector, around the world.
Since the movement began in 2008, $49bn in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting 1.3 billion lives.
Established in Australia, Global Citizen’s team operates from New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Geneva, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos and beyond.
Your organisation connects global citizens and artists to call on world leaders, corporates, and philanthropists to take action for the common good. What informed the choice of music as a key medium of advocacy?
For generations, music has always been the soundtrack of social change. Through Global Citizen’s unique ‘pop meets policy’ model we have seen the power of music and entertainment in mobilising mass action in favour of solutions that work and positively impact both people and the planet.
Through our advocacy campaigns, we convene top artists, tens of thousands of fans and advocates, together with millions of global citizens around the world to champion several specific initiatives to end extreme poverty and defend the planet
The beautiful thing about artists is that many of them genuinely want to use their platform to make the world better and encourage their audience to do the same. So, when these fans take action and speak truth to power with a united voice, those in positions of power are forced to listen.
These initiatives have —in politics, as well as business— held decision-makers accountable to their constituencies to do the right thing for the sake of current and future generations.
Global Citizen debuted Move Afrika last year. What is the project about and how successful has it been?
For far too long, Africa has been excluded from world tours for several reasons. This means that as a continent, we are not fully maximising the potential available to grow the creative economy and its contribution to the overall economy.
As such, in partnership with pgLang – the creative imprint of Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Kendrick Lamar – Move Afrika was birthed as a first-of-it-kind, multi-city tour across Africa to pioneer a world-class music and live entertainment circuit across the continent and stimulate the creative economy along the way.
Specifically, Move Afrika is a long-term, large-scale effort focused on placing the requisite technical skills, equipment, and logistical frameworks required to scale live touring across the continent, whilst creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurship opportunities in each host market.
As we record success in this and show the world that music touring is indeed possible and viable in Africa, we believe it will attract artists from across the world and within Africa to commence multi-city tours on the continent, which means more jobs and economic growth.
The inaugural Move Afrika event, Move Afrika: Rwanda, was held in Kigali in December 2023, headlined by Kendrick Lamar, created by Global Citizen and pgLang, alongside the Rwanda Development Board. For this event, we engaged 75 percent local crew and production staff, employing over 1000 Rwandans, with a specific focus on capacity development.
Though Move Afrika as an initiative is new, it definitely builds on Global Citizen’s previous campaigns and events across the continent including Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin of Coldplay to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018; Global Citizen Live: Lagos that featured Davido, Femi Kuti, and Tiwa Savage at Fela Kuti’s New Afrika Shrine in 2021; and Global Citizen Festival: Accra, which brought Usher, SZA, Stormzy, and TEMS to the iconic Black Star Square in 2022.
You are getting set to hold another instalment of Move Afrika this February 2025.
Where will the concerts be taking place and which artists will be performing?
Indeed! This year, the Move Afrika tour is expanding from East to West Africa, with Lagos, Nigeria joining Kigali, Rwanda as the host cities. The tour will begin at the BK Arena in Kigali on February 21, before continuing to The Palms in Lagos on February 25. We can’t wait!
EGOT-winning, critically acclaimed, multiplatinum artist and producer John Legend will headline both concerts, BUT, in Global Citizen’s usual fashion, there will also be additional performances by local artists. More news on this soon!
Recall I mentioned earlier that at Global Citizen, we employ a ‘pop meets policy’ approach. As such, this is not just a concert. In this 2025 edition of Move Afrika, we will also drive a citizen-led advocacy campaign championing sustainable development and economic growth, with a dedicated focus on strengthening health systems across Africa.
Together with campaign partners, Global Citizen is urging African nations to increase domestic health financing, prioritize primary care and sexual and reproductive health and rights, boost global investments in health resilience, and alleviate financial burdens on nations to strengthen public health.
The genius thing about our model is that Global Citizens in Move Afrika host cities have the opportunity to earn a pair of free tickets to the show by joining us and taking action on these issues, both through the Global Citizen app, and on WhatsApp.
For those who are skeptical about the impact that international advocacy organisations like Global Citizen can make in addressing local challenges, what do you have to say to them?
Ending extreme poverty is complex. It requires addressing the many issues that intersect with and perpetuate cycles of poverty, like food insecurity, climate change, access to education, job creation, and more.
It also requires political will, as well as funding, buy-in from private sector leaders, as well as citizens taking action on an ongoing basis. However when all these are done with deep understanding of the local market and in partnership with relevant local stakeholders, that is when sustainable impact is seen.
Without the sustained work of organisations both large and small, local and global – and the pressure, advocacy, and collaboration from the communities and people who power them – local challenges will persist in a moment when we need to be galvanizing global support to address them.
How can individuals and corporations who wish to support Move Afrika and other Global Citizen initiatives be a part of it?
There are several ways to support and be a part of Move Afrika and our campaigns at Global Citizen – there’s something everyone can do.
For individuals, the first step is to download the Global Citizen app, register to be a Global Citizen and join millions of other advocates passionate about impact to take action on our platform. As you take action, you can also earn tickets to the Move Afrika Lagos event.
For the private sector, we are ever keen on building partnerships to advance our mission of ending extreme poverty. In addition, purchasing any of our VIP Experience Packages is a major way to support our work in building this touring circuit across Africa that will, with time, open up more opportunities for the next generation to build their livelihoods within the creative economy.
Any last words for our discerning readers?
Be a part of making a difference today! Tickets are selling fast so don’t miss out and visit MoveAfrika.org today to earn or purchase yourself a ticket or our VIP Experience Package.
