CEO of 3Media Networks, Baba Sadiq Abdulai Abu, has shed light on the status of the AfroNation music festival.
In a recent statement, he reiterated that AfroNation won’t be returning, and instead, it is relocating to Nigeria.
He expressed that while a return to Ghana might be considered in the future, it depends on changing circumstances.
Baba Sadiq explained that the market size in Ghana is limited and insufficient to financially support the kind of festival experience AfroNation offers.
Funding for such events often comes from external sources, giving them influence over event locations.
“The size of our market is small. Our market alone from within the market can’t fund the sort of experiences that need to be here.
“You can’t find the money from here to sometimes look outside and when you’re fetching it from outside they determine where and where you should be at any point in time,” he said.
Baba Sadiq also suggested that in order to maintain Ghana’s status as a prime holiday destination in December, the government should invest in initiatives including financial support, tax rebates, or even creating a fund to aid well-organized festivals.
“We need to put our money where our mouth is. If as a state or collectively as a country, we’re still interested in keeping our positioning as a major holiday-maker spot in December, then there has to be a certain level of investment from the state.
“Probably the state would have to begin funding these initiatives or creating a relief of sorts, like tax rebates and stuff.
“Tax rebates could be won, but it could float a fund, for instance, I mean through the banks where some of these festivals that are run properly and organized well could access funding to be able to put it together,” he said.
Baba Sadiq’s comments come on the back of the move of the annual music festival, AfroNation, to Nigeria.
The festival was launched in Ghana in 2019 during the Year of Return and was a huge success in the international space. The 2022 event, however, was cut abruptly without explanation.
