About

Overview

The African Creative Economies Initiative (the “ACE Initiative,” or “ACE”), formerly known as the Harvard Africa Music Initiative (“HAMI”), is CSASE’s signature platform established in 2024. Its principal objective is to ensure that Africa’s creative capital remains under the control of Africans and that the continent can retain the immense value generated by its creative industries, including music, film, TV, arts, literature, fashion and sports. ACE will do this by collaborating with key stakeholders on and of the continent to help address the legal, educational and policy needs of the sector - particularly as these industries begin to engage in a meaningful way on the global stage outside of the continent. ACE will leverage the knowledge, experience, expertise, access and influence of Harvard’s African alumni, faculty and students in collaboration with policymakers, regulators, and investors to ensure that the needs and priorities of this dynamic and rapidly growing sector are well-served.

Focus Areas

ACE is uniquely well-positioned to partner with the stakeholders of Africa’s creative industries in two key inflection points: (1) when such stakeholders are looking to expand their footprint from their particular region out onto the global stage, and (2) when such stakeholders are responding to foreign expansion of international, extra-regional players into the African market.

Activities

2024

In 2024, the ACE Initiative kicked off a slate of initial projects, including:

Panel on "Amplifying Africa’s Creative Capital for Development" at the 2024 Harvard Africa Development Conference. Read more about the event HERE
Educational and strategic partnerships with African record labels and individual artists regarding expansion of market share in the global entertainment industry
Training on the structure and economics of the global music industry and licensing agreements with regulatory bodies on the continent
Panel on “The Power of Africa’s Soft Power: The Arts, Film, Fashion, and Afrobeats - Mapping New Frontiers for the Creative Sector” at the Harvard University’s inaugural Africa Alive! 2024 reunion of African alumni
Co-producing the Africa Alive! 2024 Closing Gala featuring a Yemi Alade performance
Panel on "The Landscape of African Sports: Current Trends and Future Prospects" at the 21st Annual Columbia Africa Conference. Read more HERE

2025

ACE's key initiative for 2025 will focus on a Listening Tour of key music markets on the African continent, including:

September 5-8, 2025: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire - as a hub for the music ecosystem in Francophone Africa. Read more about the Abidjan event HERE
December 12-15, 2025: Lagos, Nigeria - as a hub for the music ecosystem in English-speaking West Africa and the home of Afrobeats
Launch of 2025 Report on Structural Dynamics, Legal Considerations, and Long-Term Sustainability in the Global Music Sector

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In addition, ACE participated in the following events in 2025:

February 15, 2025: Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Panel on “Cross Over Borders: The Global Rise of African Sports and Gaming” at the 27th Annual HBS Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School. Read more about the event HERE
April 12, 2025: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA - Panels on “Breaking Down Barriers: Harnessing the Power of Sports for Africa’s Development” and “Africa’s Cultural Economy - Film, Media, Entertainment” at the 2025 Harvard Africa Development Conference at Harvard Law School. Read more about the event HERE
October 17, 2025: Maputo, Mozambique - Fireside Chat on African Creative Industries at the African Society of International Law’s Annual Conference in Maputo, Mozambique. Read more about the event HERE
November 8, 2025: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Panel on “Owning the Game: The Next Era of Africans in Sports” at the 32nd Annual Wharton Africa Business Forum at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Read more about the event HERE

For inquiries regarding ACE projects, research, or requests for case studies, please contact ace@law.harvard.edu.

Student Committee

ACE’s Student Committee is responsible for interfacing with organizations affiliated with academic institutions, organizing campus initiatives, providing pro-bono services, and conducting projection research on the development of Africa’s creative industries. Membership is open to persons currently enrolled in a degree granting program at Harvard University. These members provide insight on the intersection between higher education and the future development of Africa’s creative industries. The three pillars of the Student Committee include:

On-Campus Events related to African creative industries
Empirical Research and Analysis of African creative industries (e.g., academic journals, law journals, policy papers, etc.)
Media Content covering the African creative industries (e.g., social media, podcasts, journalism articles, short-form content, etc.)

Students interested in joining the ACE Student Committee can reach out to harvardafricanstudentssociety@gmail.com.