Call for applications: emPawa Africa accelerator programme

Launched in November 2018 by Nigerian artist Mr Eazi, emPawa Africa supports unsigned young African artists to reach their full potential. The programme has so far supported 22Nigerian artists and 100 artists in total from 11 African countries.

"The #emPawa30 will include 10 artists from Nigeria, 10 artists from other countries on the African continent and five UK-based African artists, with the remaining five spots open to African-born artists in countries around the world, including the US and Canada," an emPowa press statement reads.

A recent partnership between YouTube and emPawa Africa will see the streaming platform sponsor the 10 Nigerian artists, who will be selected as part of its commitment to support emerging talent in the West African country.

"We're incredibly proud that YouTube has been a mainline for African artists to connect all over the world and by supporting one of the leading African trailblazers like Mr Eazi and his emPawa initiative. We're excited to see how these artists supercharge their careers and grow their fan base on YouTube," YouTube global head of music Lyor Cohen said.

Those selected artists will receive funding for a music video and get mentorship and guidance from top African acts such as Diamond Platnumz, Sarkodie, Kwesta, Guilty Beatz, Juls, E Kelly, DJ Neptune, Diplo and Mr Eazi.

The application deadline 15 September 2019.

How to participate

Interested artists can make their submissions by uploading a short video (one minute max) to Instagram of themselves performing either an original song, cover or freestyle, with the hashtag #emPawa30.