Five artists from Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa have been paired with AI engineers to collaboratively develop a culturally grounded, technically robust project that advances African music innovation.
Each was named a winner of the AI & African Music Project, an initiative exploring the intersection of AI and African musical creativity at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), through the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) and Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute.
This six-month pilot programme, supported by Wits alumnus and PhD-candidate Charles Goldstuck, a US-based philanthropist and music executive, provides funding, technical support, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities for African music creators to leverage AI in music creation, preservation, and genre innovation. The programme began with a workshop in Johannesburg in November 2025 and will culminate in a public showcase in April 2026.
A rigorous selection process
More than 150 artists from over 20 African countries expressed interest. Fifty applications underwent a multi-stage assessment, including technical and feasibility reviews and interviews. Winners were selected for how well their proposals align with the Project’s categories, regional representation, creativity and feasibility.
Meet the project teams
Each winner has been paired with an AI engineer to collaboratively develop a culturally grounded, technically robust project that advances African music innovation. Together, these artist-engineer teams bring complementary expertise in creativity, technology, community engagement, and African sonic heritage.
- Umlilo (South Africa) — multidisciplinary artist and creative director at Future Kwaai Records — working with Gideon Gyimah (Ghana), an AI engineer specialising in financial‑sector voice‑AI and multilingual African speech‑technology systems. Project: Zazi, a “musical digital twin” enabling real‑time voice, rhythm, and storytelling interaction
- Joshua Kroon (Cameroon) — multidisciplinary artist and cultural documentarian — partnered with Emmanuel Apetsi (Ghana), an AI/ML engineer leading open‑source AI infrastructure and multilingual LLM development across Africa. Project: The Bɛ̀bɛ̀i Engine, a performative AI instrument co‑created with the Baka community to preserve endangered polyphonic traditions
- Ehinome Ogbeide (Nigeria) — music strategist and digital innovator — teamed with Muhigiri Ashuza Albin (DRC), a creative technologist building culturally grounded AI systems informed by deep community‑based design. Project: Bina.ai, an AI‑driven children’s music and storytelling platform grounded in African genres and early‑learning principles
- Linda Nyabundi (Kenya) — DJ, producer, and cultural curator — working alongside Gebregziabihier Nigusie (Ethiopia), an AI researcher advancing machine learning for health, language, and cultural‑preservation challenges in low‑resource contexts. Project: Heritage in Code, a digital archive and AI fusion tool preserving African instrumental heritage while enabling contributor royalties
- Tora Nyamosi (Kenya) — AI‑driven music producer and cultural researcher — paired with Lawrence Moruye (Kenya), a machine‑intelligence engineer specialising in speech, language, and multimodal AI systems for African‑centred applications. Project: TIMah AI, a secure web‑based archive documenting Kikuyu traditional music with transcript workflows and community‑centred consent governance
Together, these projects span interactive learning tools, AI‑driven cultural archives, performance instruments, and digital systems safeguarding African musical traditions, demonstrating the breadth and originality of African‑led innovation in the AI and music space. All five teams are currently developing prototypes for a pilot showcase on 16 April 2026 at Wits University’s Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, presented in partnership with the Wits School of Arts’ Music Department.
A dynamic African selection panel
The panel combined leading voices in music, technology, and innovation across industry and academia, representing the continent:
- Professor Ritesh Ajoodha (South Africa): Associate Professor at Wits University, Director of the Explainable AI Laboratory, and Fellow of the Wits MIND Institute
- Tresor Riziki (Congo/South Africa): Multi-award-winning artist, founder of Jacquel Entertainment Group, and cultural entrepreneur shaping African pop globally
- Jarrod Assenheim (South Africa): Founder and CEO of Audlytics and Radiomonitor SA; veteran music entrepreneur and rights management innovator
- Babusi Nyoni (Zimbabwe/South Africa): Founder of Tripleblack Agency, creative technologist and social entrepreneur pioneering AI for health, culture, and social impact
- Ade Adetunji (Nigeria): Manager, Operations & Commercial Partnerships at Audiomack, driving African music strategy and global partnerships
- Martha Huro (Kenya): Renowned music business leader and strategist with extensive experience in East Africa’s digital music ecosystem; formerly Managing Director at Boomplay
- Dr Richard Muranda (Zimbabwe): Senior Lecturer in Music Business, Musicology & Technology at Midlands State University, specialising in digital preservation of African music
- Aleksandra Teng Ma (USA): Music AI researcher, graduate student at Georgia Tech, and visiting researcher at MIT, focusing on human-AI creative systems
Driving innovation and global partnerships at Wits
The initiative signals a global shift, with Africa demonstrating how culture, ethics, and community‑led design can redefine the future of artificial intelligence. A hub for research and innovation that drives transformative technologies, this project reflects Wits University’s strategic commitment to AI leadership. The Wits MIND Institute advances fundamental AI science, regional governance and application in society, while the Wits Innovation Centre accelerates multidisciplinary innovation for societal impact.
The project is supported by Billboard US and Billboard Africa, and will be documented through editorial features that explore the processes and outcomes of each project. In addition, the project represents a point of connection between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Wits University, following the launch of the MIT-Africa Program more than a decade ago.