On January 1, the UK government began talks with the organizers of Burna Boy’s ‘Lagos Loves Damini’ show to explore a partnership that would strengthen Nigeria’s entertainment sector.
The collaboration was officially launched on Friday with a meeting at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria.
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The meeting was attended by Mr. Kaycee Kennedy of Creative Economy Catalyst Ltd, the show’s main promoter, and Chim Chalemera, Country Director, UK Department for International Trade.
In a statement, Kennedy highlighted the positives, such as the fact that the show was the first African show listed on Burna Boy’s official website + ticketing. Aside from that, there were no reported casualties, theft, sexual assault, or sexual harassment. Despite the positives, Kennedy mentioned some difficulties and learning opportunities.
He stated that the desire to address the major challenges and drawbacks encountered at the Lagos show necessitated a visit to the British Deputy High Commission to meet with the UK Department for International Trade and discuss potential future collaboration.
The issue of insufficient power supply and the power surge that caused an outage that destroyed a large amount of equipment was extensively discussed, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The need for logistics support in areas such as infrastructure, which includes hiring equipment and standardizing such equipment to meet minimum international standards, was also discussed.
In addition, the meeting covered vendor selection and management. Possible waste management assistance following concerts and other large events was also discussed.
An adequate waste recycling structure was agreed to be a critical post-concert facility for preserving the environment and adhering to internationally recognized bio disposal and environmental standards.
Chalemera stated in her contribution that she was happy to provide any assistance needed, including matchmaking and introductions to relevant UK companies interested in partnering with the concert promoters.
The collaboration, she claims, will ensure that future concerts meet international standards. A trade mission was organized by the UK Department for International Trade for 18 UK companies involved in the £20 million Round 10 Energy Catalyst for sustainable energy.
They were hosted by Creative Economy Catalyst Ltd and visited Eko Energy City, the site of Burna Boy’s “Lagos Loves Damini” show.
As a result, the Friday follow-up visit marked an important step toward the development of a partnership between Creative Economy Catalyst and the Department of International Trade, just before the next round of international shows and concerts scheduled for Eko Energy City in Lagos in 2023.
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An ecstatic Chalemera expressed her delight at the potential benefits of the collaboration, saying, “The UK is very happy to support the Creative Economy Catalyst team as part of our extensive engagement with the Nigerian Creative Industry.
“The UK has much to offer in terms of expertise when it comes to the delivery of large-scale entertainment events such as concerts and festivals. We look forward to seeing how this expertise can be applied for future events,” she said.
