Known for his keen attention to details, the President and Executive Producer of the prestigious All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, Mike Dada is an astute professional who has carefully worked himself into attaining principal status in Nigeria’s mainstream Public Relations sector.

In this interview with ERAVE correspondent, Idris Aina, the AFRIMA President addressed the issue of cultural degradation among the African race, the challenges involved in staging an awards ceremony for Africans, among other sundry issues.

What are the plans to stage a memorable event for AFRIMA this year?

The plans are fundamental principles of planning but the truth is, it all started immediately we finished the awards last year. AFRIMA is an all year round event and we have been to different countries across the continent attending conferences and other capacity development programmes which are part of the build up for the proper event. The aim is to ensure everyone involved is given good hospitality and that we put out a world class show that is representative of Africa.

AFRIMA is supported by the African Union. How easy was it conveying an award conceived in Nigeria to the continental stage?

Was AFRIMA an idea thought in Nigeria? My answer is Yes and No. Yes because the root of the idea is from Nigeria and No because the other members of the team that have contributed to its growth are also from different parts of Africa. We have professionals in the media industry, music and entertainment, production industry, public relations and advertising who are members of our international committee. These people are CEOs of various organizations but are part of the team who put in ideas, policies and strategies to ensure the sustainability of the idea. What differentiates AFRIMA from other awards is that it’s not a one man show. We just have to put a face to it and I am only lucky to be the producer and President for a while.

Building it across Africa and the continent has not been easy. There are immigration, finance, transportation, sponsorship and other issues that have affected one way or the other. But for us, we are committed to do it and build a brand for our people to understand the vision and its mission. The media budget alone is on the high side and there are plans to take the AFRIMA campaign across Europe and America because the idea is to communicate the strength of Africa to the rest of the world using the platform of entertainment, culture, arts, and tourism.

AFRIMA has grown into a global brand as an award that represents the African race. What will you point at as the uniqueness that helped metamorphose it into an award accepted by all?

I am flattered to hear that AFRIMA has grown into a global brand but that was the idea from the onset. For us, we know we are still building the brand and plan to take it to a level where people will be glued to their TV sets to watch the award globally. Building it from the scratch has not been easy and in reality, nothing comes easy. We understand what differentiates an ordinary man from an extraordinary one is the capacity to overcome challenges. There are a lot of challenges putting together an award for the African race but we have to do something. We are committed within ourselves as regards where we intend to take AFRIMA to and I must say we are currently on the right track.

Read more of the interview here http://eraveng.com/2015/11/13/mike-dada-afrima-is-the-answer-to-africas-demand-for-a-grammy/