In line with its adherence to integrity and transparency, The African Union Commission and The International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards have appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as the official international auditor of AFRIMA’s voting processes and applications as announced at a joint press conference and unveiling ceremony held at the PWC Experience Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Leader, Technology, Media, Entertainment and Telecommunication, PwC, Femi Osinubi, stated this on Wednesday.
PwC will perform independent stress testing of AFRIMA’s voting platform, conduct vulnerability assessment to validate the integrity of the software deployed for improved security controls, carry out penetration testing covering the voting system and its interface, monitor public and academy voting portals, collate votes and present the sealed results during the award ceremony.
Osinubi said: “The partnership aims to provide technical assistance, support, and we are excited about this collaboration which has come about as a result of our experience and investment in the creative industry which contributed to the GDP of Africa in 2020.
“In addition, in recent years, the dynamism of African music has been reflected in the widespread recognition of works produced by African artists on the international scene. We are proud to partner with AFRIMA and support the growth of the industry.”
In her welcome address, Head of Culture, Social Affairs Division, African Union Commission, Angela Martins, said: “The Commission and the International Committee of AFRIMA wishes to announce the onboarding of PricewaterhouseCoopers as a partner for AFRIMA to audit AFRIMA processes as well as track and monitor the voting processes.
“This will enhance and validate the integrity of the AFRIMA platform.
“We wish to appreciate PwC for partnering and embarking on the AFRIMA journey with us.
“The African Union is celebrating the year of arts, culture and heritage under the theme: ‘Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa we want.’
“The African Union recognises the role young people play as drivers of change to foster development on the continent and to promote the creative industry and rewards artistes that have produced entertaining works even with the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The President and Executive Producer of AFRIMA, Mike Dada, said: “The engagement of PwC is to assure music fans, artistes and professionals in the music industry in Africa of the authenticity, independence and integrity of the AFRIMA’s voting process through the appointment of a globally renowned and credible third party to monitor, collate votes and deliver results at the award ceremony.
“The appointment of PWC after a meticulous process is in tandem with AFRIMA core values of FACE IT – Fairness, Authenticity, Creativity, Excellence, Integrity and Transparency which we promise the continent to always uphold.”
It is important to note that PWC is reputed for performing similar professional services to international events like OSCARS for decades.
PWC is an organisation known for building trust in society and solving important problems as its core purpose.
Also present at the briefing were AFRIMA International Advisor, Rikki Stein; Associate Producer, AFRIMA, Olisa Adibua; Partner, TMT, PwC, Udochi Muogilim; and Leader – Private Wealth, PwC, Esiri Agbeyi, among others.
The voting process for AFRIMA 2021 commenced on September 27, 2021 and will end on November 20, 2021.
The event will be held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, Nigeria from November 19 to 21, 2021, with live broadcast to 84 television stations in 109 countries.
Preceding the award ceremony is the African Music Business Summit, a platform for business networking and interaction among music professionals, which will take place on November 19, 2021at 8.30am.
AFRIMA Music Fest, an evening of non-stop music concerts with live performances from African music superstars will take place on the same day of November 19 from 6pm.
November 21 comes with all the glitz and glam from Africa’s music superstars, celebrities, and international personalities at AFRIMA Awards ceremony with Red carpet 4:30pm and Awards at 7:30pm.
AFRIMA has been regarded as the ultimate celebration and recognition of African talents and creatives globally since 2014.
