Entertainment executive and artiste manager, Otunba Olumide Enilolobo, has raised fresh concerns over what he describes as the “systemic exploitation” of Afrobeats by major Western record labels, saying Africa risks losing ownership of one of its most valuable economic exports if urgent reforms are not made.
Speaking ahead of his birthday, Otunba Enilobo said Afrobeats has grown beyond a cultural movement into a major contributor to Africa’s creative economy, with global music reports showing 30–40 per cent annual growth in African music streams and billions of plays across digital platforms.
“But while the world celebrates the sound, the business behind it is quietly slipping away from African hands,” he warned.
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Enilobo highlighted a pattern of unfair contracts, limited marketing investment, and imbalanced partnerships that leave many artists locked out of the long-term value of their own work. According to him, the situation is worsened by structural gaps in Africa’s music ecosystem — weak local labels, insufficient legal support, and poor artist-management systems.
“When artists lose ownership, the culture loses ownership,” he said. “If we don’t act now, Afrobeats will become another global genre whose profits sit in boardrooms far away from the continent that created it.”
He called for stronger local labels, better legal literacy for artists, and increased government and private investment in the creative sector, stressing that the industry’s potential extends beyond entertainment value.
“Music is not just culture. It is GDP,” Otunba stated. “Africa cannot continue exporting creativity while importing the profits.”
He urged African stakeholders to prioritise structure over hype, insisting that the future of Afrobeats depends on ownership, protection, and long-term vision.
