AMVCA To Enter New Phase, Says Atinuke Babatunde, Multichoice Executive

The Executive Head, Content and Channels West Africa, Ms. Atinuke Babatunde, has hinted at a major shake-up coming to the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), revealing that an important announcement is only days away.

The disclosure was made as an exclusive during her keynote contribution at NECLive 2025 on Friday, November 28.

Speaking on the conference theme, “Powering Africa Through Creative Enterprise,” Babatunde said the AMVCA had become a continental force.

She noted that across 11 editions, the platform had issued over 300 awards, backed by an investment exceeding N10 billion.

“It set the standard for quality; it creates visibility that unlocks funding,” she said. “It builds international credibility. It accelerates careers and strengthens the entire value chain from cinematography to costume design.”

She described the AMVCA as Africa’s most dependable ladder for creative recognition. But she stressed that even a legacy platform must evolve to meet a rapidly expanding industry.

“For 11 years, the AMVCA has been the gold standard for creative recognition in Africa,” she said. “But awards must evolve, recognition must deepen, and platforms must expand.”

Babatunde then hinted at an imminent shift.

“Let me speak carefully here, but boldly enough that you hear me. The future of the creative economy in Africa is about to evolve. And let me say this clearly: in a few days, we are about to unveil something that will help make this whole ecosystem evolve.”

She added that unlocking the next chapter for Africa’s creative industries would require urgent coordination across policy, financing, infrastructure, and talent development. “It is not enough to celebrate creativity; we must protect it, we must fund it and we must scale it,” Babatunde said. “Capital must follow creativity. Infrastructure must match ambition. Talent pipelines must be institutionalised.”

Babatunde closed with a bold projection of Africa’s cultural future.

“The next global cultural wave will not come from Hollywood, Asia or Europe,” she declared. “It will come from Africa. Our job is simple: build the structures, create the platforms, invest in the people, strengthen the laws and protect the value.”