Henley Business School and Afrinolly Creative Hub to turn MTN Y’ello Star artists into entrepreneurs

Henley Business School and Afrinolly Creative Hub have been selected by MTN Nigeria to provide entrepreneurial training and coaching to the musicians and artists competing in popular reality talent show Y’ello Star.

The show is an open competition created by MTN, a leading telecommunications and data services provider, to discover, nurture, and launch music talents in young Nigerians, and is run through the telecom’s mobile app.

10,000 contestants applied for this year’s show and 20 artists will be selected for the final round where their skills and talents will be developed through a series of lectures, guidance, mentoring and practical sessions by renowned teachers and artists who have distinguished themselves in the industry.

As part of this, Henley Business School and Afrinolly Creative Hub will be providing a creative talent incubator which includes a series of entrepreneurship masterclasses and six months of extensive coaching to help equip the potential artists with the business acumen and skills needed to have a successful career in the creative industry.

The work with Y’ello Star forms the next stage of the successful partnership between Henley and Afrinolly, who since 2018 have been successfully delivering face-to-face education and entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria and in Ghana, supported by the British Council.

This year for the first time they have partnered with Stephen Budd Music Management, to create the ‘Nigeria Creative Industry Catalyst’ project. It has been funded by Innovate UK through the Global Challenges Research Fund, a £1.5 billion UK government fund supporting cutting-edge research and innovation in addressing the problems faced by developing countries.

The objective of the Nigeria Creative Industry Catalyst is to develop young Nigerians’ skillsets to transform talented individuals into successful entrepreneurs, creating jobs that can contribute meaningfully to the economy, whilst further building the traction that can attract the kinds of investments that will help boost the Nigerian Creative industry. The work with MTN on the Y’ello Star show is the first part of this initiative.

The long-term goal of the Nigeria Creative Industry Catalyst is to develop a digital-driven ecosystem that leverages the full value chain of the music industry, within a “Creative Village”, in order to generate a sustainable contribution to GDP, driven by the combined effect of the global music market growth and huge demand for Nigerian music.

Professor John Board, Dean of Henley Business School, said:
“Henley is proud to be an international Business School, with 80,000 alumni over 150 countries. We have a special relationship with Africa – over 6,000 alumni are from Africa and we are proud to have five Alumni Chapters in Africa.  Not only is Henley one of the top business schools in South Africa graduating nearly 1,000 students per year but we have run programmes in 15 other countries in the continent. The partnership with Afrinolly Creative Hub in Nigeria is a very important step to our ambition to build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa.”

Chike Maduegbuna, CEO of Afrinolly, said:
“It is time for Nigerian music to fully take its rightful place in the global community. With partners like MTN, Henley Business School and Berklee, Afrinolly Creative Hub is discovering emerging music talents, cultivating them and helping them grow. I am excited that Henley Business School is here to help us develop those artists, and bring them to a global stage.”

Osaze Ebueku, Senior Manager, Sponsorships and Promotions, MTN Nigeria said:
“Being a Nigerian company with deep roots in Nigeria, MTN is aware of the challenges that are currently plaguing the country. With Y’ello Star, MTN seeks to leave a long-lasting impact by empowering the youths and showcasing their talent to the world. The show is design to groom musical talent by providing a lifetime opportunity to turn their dreams and aspirations into reality. In addition, partnership with Henley Business School UK, Berklee College of Music USA; and Afrinolly Creative Hub will ensure adequate music training, creative entrepreneurship and incubation of all the contestants.”

Today’s announcement is a significant milestone for Henley Business School which is strengthening its presence in West Africa. Members of the creative industry who are interested in becoming involved in the Nigeria Creative Industry Catalyst and working with Henley to support Nigeria’s young entrepreneurs should contact Jean-Pierre Choulet, Vice Dean Henley Africa, on: j.choulet@henley.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

About Henley Business School
Henley Business School is a triple-accredited business school and part of the University of Reading. With campuses, offices and partnerships around the world, over 7,000 students from more than 100 countries and over 80,000 alumni from 160 countries, we are a truly international institution. Our courses are enriched by up to date knowledge, research and commercial experience, and aimed at students and professionals at every stage of their career – from undergraduate through to postgraduate, PhD, MBA, DBA and executive education. www.henley.ac.uk

About Afrinolly
Afrinolly Creative Hub, serves as the first Creator’s Space for filmmakers, screenwriters, mobile technology developers, animators, musicians, artists and other creatives in Nigeria. The Hub seeks to institutionalize global best practices and integrate the next generation of Nollywood and Music artists. Afrinolly Creative Hub seeks to facilitate exchange opportunities and network development between Africa’s entertainment practitioners in the first instance and between Africans and international entertainment practitioners in the area of live content production and distribution. www.afrinollycreativehub.com

About MTN Nigeria
MTN is Nigeria’s premier provider of connectivity, communication and collaboration solutions, and the largest privately owned mobile operator in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. As of 2016, MTN Group had 232.6 million subscribers, making it the eight largest mobile network operator in the world, and the largest in Africa. Active in over 20 countries, one-third of company revenue comes from Nigeria, where it holds about a 35% market share.

About Stephen Budd Music Management
Stephen Budd Music Management is an artist and producer management company and events management company. It represents some of the most successful and influential music producers, songwriters, mixers, engineers, remixers and programmers from UK, Europe, and USA. For over 20 years, Stephen Budd Music has worked with the most successful and creative artists and have won numerous Grammy and Brit Awards. It has created several long running music festivals and events in Africa, India, Korea and the UK.