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The fusion of sport and music and the opportunities for economic benefits in Africa
There aren’t many things in this world that hold as important a place in so many people’s hearts – that captivates, inspires, and brings people together in community and celebration – like both sports and music does.
More than just a sound, music connects us to one another, to our culture, our heritage and tells our stories. It allows us to share how we’re feeling, gives us an outlet to express ourselves, and makes our lives more vibrant. And more than just a game, sports can bind people from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs in support of their favourite club or team. Through sport we form bonds with one another by watching our team overcome all odds, achieve something new, grab victory from the jaws of defeat or fall short of the win. It helps us feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. Most importantly, both sports and music are simply just fun.
Music has always resonated with sports. From as far back as the 1992 Olympics when the song, Barcelona by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé was featured as the theme song, to the 2006 Germany World Cup, The Time of Our Lives theme song by Il Divo and Toni Braxton, music has always acted as a catalyst that enables sports stick. In Africa, songs like Jerusalema by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode, Wavin’ Flag by K’NAAN, Waka Waka by Shakira and Issa Goal by Naira Marley, Lil Kesh and Olamide have also been associated with soccer. African soccer legends like Drogba, Eto’o and Okocha have also been known to be quoted in the lyrics of songs. Recently, Burna Boy’s performance at the Champions league final this year also reinforces the obvious bond between music and sports.
Very much two sides of the same coin, it’s no surprise then that when we bring sports and music together, it can have a powerful impact. Together, they can strengthen communities, fuel political processes, and drive socio-cultural and economic change. This is especially true in Africa which boasts the youngest population in the world, at more than 400 million individuals aged between 15 and 35. Spotify data shows that listeners aged between 18-24 created the most playlists with the word ‘sport’ in them, followed by 25-29 year olds, a clear indication that Africa’s youth is on the pulse of the synergy between music and sports.
This young population continues to grow rapidly while African talent across both spheres of music and sports is booming in abundance. This is demonstrated by the rise in popularity and proliferation of African genres like Amapiano and Afrobeats internationally; Spotify data shows that African music’s Year on Year growth in international markets rivals that of KPOP. Its leading artists such as Burna Boy, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Rema, DJ Maphorisa, Uncle Waffles and Black Coffee are taking over global stages. Meanwhile, many African athletes are key players for international clubs across sports such as basketball, football and rugby.
With Africa’s music market expected to show an annual growth rate of 11.32% between now and 2027, resulting in a projected market volume of US$47 million by 2027 and total revenue in the sports market on the continent expected to grow at an annual rate of 9.02% between now and 2027, resulting in a projected market volume of $8 million by 2027, it’s clear then that the fusion of sport and music offers substantial potential to help drive economic growth and development.
We can already see this impact realised through partnerships such as the collaboration between Spotify and European football club F.C. Barcelona. Under the first-of-its-kind partnership, the two worked together to bring the worlds of music and football together by giving a global stage to players and artists and building new opportunities to connect with fans at the home of Barcelona’s fans, Spotify Camp Nou. Some of the African artists who have been featured in the 99,000 seat stadium’s advertising board include Firebody DML, CKay, Omah Lay and DJ Spinall. This is in line with Spotify’s aim to leverage F.C. Barcelona’s global fan base to fuel discovery and engagement with artists in turn creating more opportunities for those artists to live off of their art.
The US National Basketball Association (NBA) also took advantage of the collaborative power of sport and music during its All-Star Weekend this year by bringing artists like Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema together as performers for its halftime show.
Spotify has also partnered with youth basketball non-profit organisation Giants of Africa, for the inaugural Giants of Africa Festival between 12 – 19 August in Kigali, Rwanda. Since 2003, Giants of Africa has positively impacted over 40,000 African youth across 17 countries providing access to basketball courts, camps and clinics. By joining forces, the two will bring together the best of African youth, basketball, music, culture, and entertainment on the continent and beyond to showcase a shared vision for Africa’s future. Playlists with the word ‘basketball’ on Spotify have increased by over 1,300% since 2020, so this partnership is happening at the opportune moment.
The Giants of Africa festival will culminate in a closing ceremony, presented by Spotify, where some of the biggest African artists like Davido, Tiwa Savage, Tyla and Bruce Melodie will perform. These artists’ core listeners on Spotify are aged between 18-29, further underlining Giants of Africa and Spotify’s shared commitment to investing in African youths.
With such a vast pool of particularly young sport and musical talent to be found on the African continent, it’s clear that investment in their development to compete on an international level will drive socio-economic and cultural impact across communities on the continent. By leveraging the connective power of both sport and music together, we can not only create a platform for this young talent but also attract much-needed investment into our local sports and music industries which would help us to discover, nurture and develop the artists and athletes of the future.
By Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director
The Ghana Police Service has launched a manhunt for Prince Krah, a 30-year-old military officer, in connection with the brutal murder of a couple at Saki, near Tema Golf City.
A GH₵100,000 reward has been offered for any credible information leading to his arrest.The victims, identified as Ebenezer Kwabena Obiri, 45, and Mary Anim, 22, were discovered dead in their chamber-and-hall apartment on May 1, 2026.
According to police reports, both bodies bore multiple machete wounds. Investigators established that the suspect had been cohabiting with the couple prior to the incident.
Police records indicate that Mr. Obiri was last seen alive in the company of Krah on the night of April 30.
Following preliminary investigations, the Kpone Magistrate Court issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest on May 4.Krah is described as being approximately 5.7 feet tall, dark in complexion, and of stout build.
He was last seen wearing a Lacoste shirt and jeans.Security intelligence suggests that Krah has gone into hiding and may be seeking refuge within the Kakusunanka area or the Kamina Barracks in Tamale.
They have urged the public to exercise caution and report any sightings of the suspect to the nearest police station or via the emergency toll-free lines 191 or 112.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The minority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called for the immediate release of former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Food Buffed Stock Company, NAFCO over what he describe as extra judicial harassment.
In a statement by the minority leader, he noted that “I have become aware of the unwarranted arrest and incarceration of the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company, Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) yesterday, 5th May, 2026.”
Mr.Afenyo-Markins described the incident as a needless and face-saving arrest adding that “followed one year of arraignment of the two accused persons with 3 others in court on charges whose weakness and frivolity were exposed by defence counsel through objections raised and upheld by the court at the Case Management Conference held in the course of the trial.”
According to him the Attorney-General, in response to the objections raised and in a bid to boost the weak prosecution he had initiated, attempted to introduce fresh witness statements without leave of the court, contrary to the rules governing the conduct of criminal proceedings in the Republic.
He added that when an objection was raised again by defence counsel led by Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame and same was upheld by the court, the Attorney-General’s next move was to withdraw all the charges against the accused persons.
According to him “One would have thought that EOCO would step back, conduct more thorough investigations and understand the matter before deciding whether to charge the accused persons again or not.”
“However, in an impulsive and knee-jerk reaction, EOCO re-arrested Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab and his wife for offences unknown to even his legal team and whisked them off to the EOCO office. Strangely, they have been refused bail and have been kept in custody since yesterday, even though they were on bail granted by the court just before the charges were withdrawn,” he added.
He further noted that Hanan’s lawyers, who were at the offices of EOCO from about 11 am until 8 pm last night, were denied access to him.
This according to the Afenyo-Markin the conduct of EOCO, the Attorney-General and the Government as a whole, in harassing and torturing these innocent citizens of the land in the manner described above, very shameful, reprehensible and most unworthy of a healthy democracy that Ghana has struggled to build the past 33 years.
He therefore added that the law enforcement processes should be deployed to deal with actual wrongdoing in accordance with due process and not utilised as a propagandist machinery for the Government by arresting and detaining leading members of the opposition as a way of purporting to give meaning to the Government’s failed ORAL promise.
“I take note that the Attorney-General held a massive press conference last year, cited the Buffer Stock case as a major example of the ORAL drive, and vilified these same accused persons as having stolen money from the State when he had not even filed any charges against them,” he added.
“EOCO’s move in rearresting the accused persons after charges had been withdrawn (after a whole year of subjecting the accused persons to unnecessary assassination of their character) is clearly a desperate attempt to save the face of the Attorney-General and sustain a false impression of a continuation of the Government’s failed ORAL promise,” he noted.
“The EOCO boss, Raymond Archer, must learn to operate in accordance with due process like his predecessors used to do. That important institution of State must not be turned into a rogue outfit for harassing and torturing innocent citizens extra judicially when the Government becomes frustrated by a failure to prove offences levelled against them in a court of law, as we have seen in the Buffer Stock,” he said.
“I call on EOCO and the Attorney-General to release Hanan Abdul-Wahab and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni immediately.This impunity must stop,” he concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
