Panellists on Ghana’s The One King Show have called on African governments to convene an emergency conference on arts and entertainment, warning that other countries will be left behind as Nigeria’s cultural influence accelerates over the next two decades.
The discussion followed Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayra Starr becoming the first African artist to headline a halftime show at the NFL International Games.
Teacher Emma, one of the panellists, framed Nigeria’s success as a challenge rather than a distant triumph.
“Nigerians are a threat to all the African countries because, just as Rap Pastor said, everything Nigeria, everything Nigeria — it is a challenge to the African countries for us to find out what the Nigerians are doing well that is pushing them out,” he said.
He proposed a bilateral forum bringing together Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, including both anglophone and francophone states, where the managers and executives driving Nigeria’s rise could share their expertise.
“If really African leaders feel entertainment or art should be taken seriously, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo can have this sort of bilateral discussion where those people who are putting Nigeria on can bring their expertise to the table, so others can also benefit from this knowledge,” Teacher Emma said.
“I see they are leaving most of the countries behind. Giving us 10, 15 or 20 years to come, the other African countries would be left at the back.”
He noted that leaders have met repeatedly on economic policy, technology and governance, and argued they can do the same on showbiz. “Else, there is no way the other African countries are going to meet these Nigerians. They will be far gone, and we would be behind.”
No government has responded to the call for a summit. The panellists said they hoped leaders watching the broadcast would plan around it.
