Kenya's quest to host Africa Recording Academy hub gets boost from Grammy organizers

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s quest to host an Africa Recording Academy headquarters got a boost Friday when Recording Academy officials said key milestones had been completed, and Kenyan artists will travel to the U.S. next month to get acquainted with the international music business.

Academy President Panos A. Panay, speaking after a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday, said Africa’s place in the global music industry was a project that cannot be measured by a single launch date, but by the work being put into building a foundation. The California-based Recording Academy is the organization that presents the Grammy Awards .

The academy now wants to expand its presence in Africa by establishing an Africa Recording Academy headquarters, which Kenya is bidding to host alongside Nigeria and South Africa. The Kenyan government has invested $3.9 million toward hosting the hub.

At a panel discussion Friday with various creative economy actors, Panay said the introduction of the best African music performance category in the Grammys and the establishment of the American Music Mentorship Program in partnership with the U.S. State Department, is part of the milestones achieved in the African music industry.

Panay said expanding the global reach of African music was a process like that of gardening where all the necessary conditions have to be in place before the final harvest.

“For things to happen, you need conditions, you need persistence. You need pruning,” he said.

Panay said plans were underway to enroll more African members in the Recording Academy, noting that Grammy Award winners are chosen through a peer-voting process rather than by a jury.

The Recording Academy has been working to expand and diversify its voting body by reaching out to underrepresented communities. Since 2019, the Academy has reported significant growth among voters from different racial backgrounds, including a 100% increase in Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, a 90% increase in Black voters and a 43% increase in Latino voters.

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny won album of the year, making history as the first time a Spanish-language album has taken home the top prize.

Four years ago, the Grammys introduced the Best African Music Performance category and later formed an American Music Mentorship Program in partnership with the U.S. State Department.

Ruto, speaking Wednesday during a business summit, said the investment in the African hub to be hosted by Kenya was aimed at transforming Kenya’s creative economy into a viable source of income for artists.

“It is about attracting studios, labels, platforms and investors, and making Kenya a permanent center of African creative production,” he said.

The center will provide more opportunities on the international stage for African artists.

Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said Africa’s push to establish a stronger presence within the Grammys should be viewed as a long-term project.

He compared it to the development of the Latin Recording Academy, saying it also took years to build the structures and networks needed to establish a strong presence in the global music industry.

Abud, Panay and Media Executive Nicholas Weinstock have been on a weeklong meet and greet in Nairobi as part of the U.S. Embassy-Kenya creative economy collaboration.