By Achile Danjuma
Afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage has officially launched the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation (TSMF), a new non-profit initiative dedicated to fostering professional development and structured training within Africa’s music ecosystem.
The foundation was unveiled at an exclusive black-tie event held at The Delborough Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday. According to a statement released on Thursday and signed by the Foundation’s Senior PR Manager, Joy Teddy, TSMF aims to address critical skills gaps by equipping emerging talents with the tools needed for sustainable careers.
While Africa continues to produce globally recognized artists, the statement noted that access to formal training for essential behind-the-scenes roles remains severely limited. The foundation seeks to change this by focusing on the “infrastructure” of the industry.
“The Foundation is built on the belief that Africa’s music industry needs more than great artists,” the statement read. “Producers, sound engineers, songwriters, entertainment lawyers, publishers, and executives are the infrastructure behind the music, and structured access to training for these careers across Africa remains limited. TSMF was created to change that.”
Speaking at the launch, Savage emphasized that the initiative is about more than just talent; it is about democratizing access and ensuring African creatives can compete on a global scale.
“Talent is universal, but access is not. For too long, African creatives have been perceived as late to global systems. Education changes that. Access changes that. Ownership changes that,” Savage said.
As its flagship programme, the foundation has partnered with the renowned Berklee College of Music to host the “Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme.” The four-day intensive training is scheduled to take place in Lagos from April 23 to April 26, 2026.
The programme will select 100 aspiring music professionals for training in live performance, songwriting, music production, and the business of music. The organizers confirmed that the training will be tuition-free for all accepted participants. Applications are currently open and will close on March 20, 2026.