Sanwo-Olu, Newsom, AFRIMA founder for

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; California Governor, Gavin Newsom; and President and Founder of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), Mike Dada, are among government, business and creative industry leaders expected at the California-Lagos Business & Investment Summit in the United States.

The two-day summit, scheduled for September 17 and 18 in Sacramento and San Francisco, California, will seek to deepen trade and investment ties between Nigeria and the United States, with particular emphasis on opportunities connecting Lagos and California.

Afretrade Chief Executive Officer, Lekan Salaam, is also expected at the gathering, alongside investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, professionals and members of the African diaspora.

With the theme, “Building the California-Nigeria Business Bridge,” the private sector-led initiative is being powered by Afretrade, US Diaspora United Chamber of Commerce, NIED Group and the Lagos State Office of Diaspora Affairs.

Discussions will focus on technology and fintech, trade and logistics, transportation, entertainment, agriculture, renewable energy, real estate and access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The organisers said the summit would provide opportunities for business matchmaking and capital raising, while connecting Nigerian entrepreneurs and professionals with investors and business leaders in the United States.

Dada is expected to address the summit on “From Culture to Capital: Unlocking the California-Lagos Creative Economy,” with a focus on transforming Africa’s expanding music, film and entertainment industries into sustainable businesses capable of attracting international investment.

His presentation will also examine intellectual property and how African creators can retain greater economic value from their works while accessing capital, technology and international markets.

“Africa is no longer simply a source of creative content for the global market; Africa is a market, a talent hub and an investment destination,” Dada said.

“The real opportunity before us is to build structures that allow African creators to retain value from their intellectual property while attracting the capital, technology and global partnerships required to scale their businesses.”

He said AFRIMA had spent the past 15 years building links between African creativity, enterprise and global markets, arguing that the objectives of the awards platform aligned with the summit’s drive to position African businesses and intellectual property for international competitiveness.

“AFRIMA perfectly aligns with the California Business and Investment Summit as both platforms share a common vision of positioning African businesses, talents and intellectual property for global trade competitiveness,” he said.

Other expected participants include Dr Charly Lemassi, Dr Badewa Adejugbe-Williams, Dr Jameine Sanwo-Olu, bridgeAfric President, Victoria Remi Nkong, and Chief Executive Officer of Aqua Financial, Rory Douglas.

The main business programme will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, investment and capital-raising sessions as well as business matchmaking.

An official celebration is expected at the historic Stanford Mansion, while a gala and award night will hold at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. The programme will continue on September 18 with a diplomatic and business networking reception in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, AFRIMA has entered into a strategic partnership with the California-Lagos Business & Investment Summit, bringing Africa’s creative economy into the broader investment discussions.

AFRIMA Regional Director for Central Africa, Nde Ndifonka, said the partnership was consistent with the organisation’s objective of developing the commercial side of African music rather than merely celebrating artistes.

“Music business advancement is one of the core seven pillars of AFRIMA, and that is why the AFRIMA Music Business Summit is an integral part of the main activities of the AFRIMA Awards.

“Our responsibility goes beyond celebrating artistes. We must also help build an ecosystem where African creativity can attract investment, create sustainable businesses and generate greater economic value,” Ndifonka said.

According to him, California’s position as a global centre for technology, capital and entertainment and Lagos’ growing reputation as a hub for African creativity and entrepreneurship provide opportunities for collaboration.

“Connecting these ecosystems can create opportunities across music, film, intellectual property, technology and cultural commerce,” he said.

Established in 2011 by AFRIMA’s International Executive Committee in partnership with the African Union, with its first awards edition held in 2014, AFRIMA has been hosted in Lagos, Accra and Dakar.

Its 10th edition is scheduled for 2027, with preparatory “RoadTo10thAFRIMA” events already held in Dar es Salaam, Abidjan, Casablanca and Rabat.