The African Creative Economies Initiative (the “ACE Initiative,” or “ACE”), formerly known as the Harvard Africa Music Initiative (“HAMI”), is CSASE’s signature platform established in 2024. Its principal objective is to ensure that Africa’s creative capital remains under the control of Africans and that the continent can retain the immense value generated by its creative industries, including music, film, TV, arts, literature, fashion and sports. ACE will do this by collaborating with key stakeholders on and of the continent to help address the legal, educational and policy needs of the sector - particularly as these industries begin to engage in a meaningful way on the global stage outside of the continent. ACE will leverage the knowledge, experience, expertise, access and influence of Harvard’s African alumni, faculty and students in collaboration with policymakers, regulators, and investors to ensure that the needs and priorities of this dynamic and rapidly growing sector are well-served.
ACE is uniquely well-positioned to partner with the stakeholders of Africa’s creative industries in two key inflection points: (1) when such stakeholders are looking to expand their footprint from their particular region out onto the global stage, and (2) when such stakeholders are responding to foreign expansion of international, extra-regional players into the African market.
In 2024, the ACE Initiative kicked off a slate of initial projects, including:
ACE’s key initiative for 2025 will focus on a Listening Tour of key music markets on the African continent.
