Ahmed Ololade, an African fast-rising musical artist better known as Asake is among the 23 participants selected for the
$50,000 #YouTubeBlack Voices Artists’ grants.
According to the statement issued by the organisers today, the fund initiative will support and expand the efforts of creators and the creative economy in Africa.
This is the third class of this initiative from YouTube and a follow-up to a global, multi-year commitment made in 2020 to promote Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers on the platform.
Each selected participant will receive $20,000 and $50,000 as seed funding alongside six-month dedicated partner support to help them develop their career skills.
Also, they will take part in bespoke and hands-on training, workshops and networking programmes.
Speaking about the African representation on the list, Alex Okosi, MD, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, said: “We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund. The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform.
In the 2023 class, out of the 135 creators chosen for the #YouTubeBlack Voices initiative, 40 are from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Also, out of the 23 musicians chosen globally for the #YouTubeBlack Voices program, 4 are from Africa, 2 of which are from Nigeria.
Some other African beneficiaries selected include Gyakie from Ghana, Kamo Mphela, MashBeatz from South Africa and Nairobi-based producer Ukweli, are Among the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices Artists selected for the programme.
Finally, for the #YouTubeBlack Voices Songwriters and Producers, two African producers will join the 17 others chosen globally.
