Global Citizen’s Move Afrika tour has come to Lagos, Nigeria for the first time, with an unforgettable evening of music and citizen-led advocacy, headlined by EGOT-winning, critically acclaimed, multiplatinum artist and producer John Legend. Move Afrika: Lagos was hosted by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and featured performances by Simi and DJ Consequence, backdropped by creative work from local designers and artisans. This was the second instalment of Move Afrika, an ambitious initiative to pioneer the pan-African music touring circuit for international artists.
John Legend gave the sold out Lagos show an incredible headline performance, which featured some of his greatest hits, including ‘Ordinary People’, ‘PDA’, ‘Green Light’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘Refuge’, where he was joined on stage by Simi. “It’s been too long, I’ve missed you all,” he said. “We’re thankful to Global Citizen and Move Afrika for bringing us back here. We belong together, Lagos. I’m so happy we’re together tonight.” Throughout the set, he wore outfits by local designers Eleven Sixteen and Orange Culture, as well as a backstage look by Emmy Kasbit. The backing vocalists also wore local designers Elexiay and Wanni Fuga.
“Adding a second location to the Move Afrika tour this year is a major step in the direction of establishing the pan-continental music touring circuit that both international and local artists will leverage for years to come. It’s this kind of incremental growth by which, year after year, we’ll continue pioneering and pushing our vision towards reality,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Global Citizen. “Nigeria has an incredibly rich musical heritage, a well established local entertainment industry, and a cultural influence that reverberates right across the globe. We are honored to have added Nigeria to the Move Afrika tour, and look forward to returning for the years to come.”
Launched in 2023, Move Afrika is a long-term effort to pioneer the international music touring circuit throughout the continent of Africa, with a dedicated focus on driving economic investment, expanding infrastructure and
building local capacity within host cities, creating local jobs, generating skill training and youth entrepreneurship opportunities, and showcasing the best of African creative talent to the world.
Additionally, international advocacy organization Global Citizen is leveraging this year’s Move Afrika tour to drive a citizen-led advocacy campaign focused on strengthening health systems across Africa. During pre-show activations in both Kigali and Lagos, where participants earned free show tickets, Global Citizen urged African nations to increase domestic health financing, prioritize primary care and sexual and reproductive health and rights, boost global investments in health resilience, and alleviate financial burdens on nations to strengthen public health.
This year, Move Afrika took groundbreaking steps by delivering world-class shows working with both local Nigerian and Rwandan crews. Move Afrika: Lagos was delivered with 90 percent local crew, and more than 95 percent local equipment, demonstrating Nigeria’s continent-leading role in delivering world class productions. Local vendors who partnered with Global Citizen to make Move Afrika: Lagos possible include: Sole Empire, Pro Audio Nigeria, ITMS Limited, Cytech World Communication, Equally Diverse Solutions Ltd., Massive Dynamics, Event Design Studio, IDCL NG, The Greenroom Nigeria and Purple Fire.
As the first stop on the tour just a few days ago in Rwanda, Move Afrika: Kigali increased its local crew from 75 percent in 2023 to 90 percent this year, significantly increased locally-sourced technical production, saw local crew members working alongside international technical teams to stage the show, and showcased Rwandan creative excellence through the work of local artisans, including members of the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, who crafted traditional Agaseke peace baskets to complete the dynamic set design.
In the lead up to tonight’s Move Afrika show, Global Citizen hosted the Stride for HER Rights Maternal Healthcare Walkathon, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, the Lagos Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Tourism, across Lagos’s iconic Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge. The walkathon saw thousands of Global Citizens, leaders from civil society and government representatives from across the region participate, including Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Nigerian Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF), and HelpMum, with all groups calling for enhanced maternal and child healthcare services nationwide. The advocacy event amplified awareness of the vital role of community health workers, calling for increased healthcare funding towards sexual reproductive health rights, and championing the need for equitable access to maternal and neonatal healthcare services across Nigeria. Those who completed the walk earned tickets to Move Afrika: Lagos.
Earlier in Kigali, over a thousand Rwandans joined Global Citizen for the Together for a Healthier Community initiative, focusing on women’s and youth health, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Imbuto Foundation, and Kimisagara Youth Center. The event featured a mobile health clinic offering free sexual and reproductive healthcare, education, and community activities to raise awareness and improve access to services. Local musician Plantini performed, and Dr. Yvan Butera, the Rwandan Minister of State for Health, gave a keynote address. The initiative aimed to address healthcare access barriers like distance, cost, and lack of awareness. Participants who attended today’s event had the chance to earn free tickets to Move Afrika: Kigali.
To coincide with Move Afrika: Lagos, the Music Economy Development Initiative (MEDI) was launched to bring together a diverse coalition with the goal of unlocking the economic potential of music across Africa and beyond. MEDI will serve as the definitive source of research and data, highlighting the global economic potential of music, while fostering partnerships that drive policy reform, investment, and collaboration. The initiative’s launch coincided with the inaugural Music Policy Assembly in Lagos, Nigeria, taking place the day prior to the Move Afrika event. The Assembly brought together experts from across the continent to discuss crucial topics such as copyright, live music, and investment. Additionally, the Assembly hosted the unveiling of MEDI’s first position paper, ‘We Need Tracks Before We Have Trains,’ co-authored by former Chief Economist of Spotify, Will Page.
Partners of Move Afrika include pgLang, Glenfiddich and Pepsi. Global Citizen is grateful for the support of leading media companies including: Bella Naija, City Radio, Eagle Production, EIB Network, News Central TV, TV Continental, Radio Flash, Royal FM, Upscale Media and Vanguard Media.
The 2025 edition of Move Afrika builds on Global Citizen’s previous campaigns and events across Africa, including the 2023 edition of Move Afrika: Rwanda, headlined by Kendrick Lamar; Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which featured Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Martin of Coldplay in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2018; Global Citizen Live: Lagos, with performances by Davido, Femi Kuti, and Tiwa Savage at Fela Kuti’s New Afrika Shrine in 2021; and Global Citizen Festival: Accra, which brought Usher, SZA, Stormzy, and TEMS to the Black Star Square in 2022.
For more information visit moveafrika.org.
