The votes are in for the first round of the Pan-African Listeners’ Choice category for the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 and the nominees have been announced. Twenty artists from 18 different African countries will now go head-to-head against one another as music fans across the continent put in their votes for their favourites. The winner will be revealed at the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 that will be hosted virtually in partnership with Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, on 20 February 2021.

The Listeners’ Choice category gives music lovers across the continent the opportunity to have their voices heard. The majority of the list of finalists for this category was determined by votes on local radio stations and social media, selecting the best publicly-voted musicians from different African countries.

“The MAMA is all about bringing the music to the people, celebrating the best that Africa has to offer and uniting us through African youth culture,” says Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager at ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA). “The Listeners’ Choice Award embodies this philosophy, as it ensures that the voices of music lovers across the diverse countries on the continent are recognised.”

The nominees for the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 Listeners’ Choice category are:

Anna Joyce (Angola)
ASAPH (Zimbabwe)
Dagi D (Ethiopia)
DBN Gogo & DJ Dinho (South Africa)
Didi B (Cote D’Ivoire)
Drizilik (Sierra Leone)
Focalistic (South Africa)
Khaligraph Jones (Kenya)
Locko (Cameroon)
Malome Vector (Lesotho)
Meddy (Rwanda)
Mohamed Ramadan (Egypt)
Ngaaka Blindé (Senegal)
Pallaso (Uganda)
Rayvanny (Tanzania)
Sarkodie (Ghana)
Shirazee (Benin)
Slick Stuart & DJ Roja (Uganda)
Souhila Ben Lachhab (Algeria)
Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)

The MAMA is brought to you in partnership with Uganda, The Pearl of Africa to recognize and reward musicians, trailblazers and those who are shining a light on the continent’s diverse talent and creativity by having a positive impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year. The MAMA also provides the opportunity to expand the African narrative by showcasing Uganda’s diversity, culture, talent, heritage and wildlife, to a global audience.

The winner will be revealed at the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 that will be hosted virtually in partnership with Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, on 20 February 2021 at 20:00 WAT / 21:00 CAT / 22:00 EAT.

To support your country’s artists, please go to www.mtvmama.com and vote for your favourite in the Listeners’ Choice category. Voting closes on 31 January 2021.

For more information on the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021, please go to www.mtvmama.com, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MTVBaseVerified, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MTVBaseAfrica. To join the conversation about the awards, please use the hashtag #MTVMAMA2021 #VISITUGANDA.

Source: ameyawdebrah.com

To ignite more interest in science and technology, ROSATOM has launched its 6th Annual Online Video Competition for African youths. The competition which is open to students and young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 encourages the youth to explore nuclear technologies and how these technologies could be utilized to benefit their region.

The competition which has been running since 2015, has already inspired hundreds of young people across the continent to explore the benefits of nuclear, some of whom have now begun their own careers in the nuclear industry.

According to Ryan Collyer, Chief Executive Officer of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, nuclear technologies are at the heart of many innovations that Africa can benefit greatly from.

“ROSATOM strongly believes that the youth need to play a vital role in achieving the United Nations Sustainability goals and more specifically in the fight against climate change. Rosatom puts a great deal of resources into supporting youth to foster their talents and share their views and ideas. We are confident that nuclear can help to archive the UN Sustainability Goals in Africa, not only through clean and affordable energy, but also through life saving medical procedures and technologically advanced agricultural practices. Through this competition we hope that the youth will educate themselves and their peers on the immense benefits that nuclear technology has to offer” concluded Collyer.

COMPETITION DETAILS

The participants are encouraged to post their videos on Facebook, following the formal guidelines set out below and submit their applications to the email atomsforafrica@rosatom.com or by the link to online submission form https://tinyurl.com/RosatomAfrica.

The top three winning videos will be selected by an independent expert panel observing various criteria including original content and creativity, overall quality of the video and content, accuracy and relevance of technical content, as well as ability to clearly communicate the content to an audience. The makers of the top three videos will be rewarded with an all-expenses paid trip to Russia, where they will get the opportunity to visit several of the country’s world-renowned tourist attractions as well as various nuclear institutions and advanced nuclear facilities.

Jury includes representatives of nuclear enterprises such as ROSATOM, Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA, Egypt), media practitioners like Influence Communications (Egypt) and regional nuclear NGOs Women in Nuclear South Africa (WinSA), African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN) and Nuclear Corporation of South Africa (NESCA).

SUBMISSION DEADLINE 31 January, 2021.

POTENTIAL TOPICS FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION (not limited to):

• How can nuclear technologies assist in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in Africa or your country?
• How can Nuclear technologies help developing countries industrialize?
• How can non-power related nuclear science and technology benefit your country or community?
• Nuclear in our everyday lives.
• Myths and fears about nuclear and how to overcome them.

FORMAL GUIDELINES FOR COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS:

• An individual or a team 1-3 people are allowed to submit one application
• Video duration must not exceed 75 seconds
• Video narration language is either English or features English subtitles
• Both professional and smartphone videos are acceptable, but the video quality must be at least 720p HD quality
• Video can be live-action or animation
• Name(s) of the creator(s) and the name of the university (if so) must be written in the first frame of the video
• The video must be published on Facebook with no restrictions on its visibility for any Facebook visitors
• The post must tag @RosatomAfrica and @RosatomMENA Facebook page and contain hashtags: #Nucleardoesntwastetime, #AtomsforAfrica, #RosatomCompetition
• No copyright violations (all videos should be compliant with Copyright and Rules for posting Content set up on Facebook)
• No harmful or offensive behavior, discrimination of any kind. Be friendly and polite.

Nigerian comedian and actor, Broda Shaggi, has been announced the official brand ambassador for Nigerian based sports betting entity, Merrybet Gold Limited. Known on the social media space, particularly on Instagram, for his funny skits and videos, Samuel Perry has proven to be a versatile person showing off his numerous talents from comedy, acting , to dancing and many others.

While it is not secret that Merrybet Gold Limited has been known for always giving back and empowering youths across the country, they have the most admirable platform and experience offering over 1000 markets and betting options, fastest payout, largest odds and best bonuses. The legal gambling company has continued to show its commitment to delivering excellent customer products and services by being at the forefront of innovation and service delivery.

“We are excited to let everyone know that Broda Shaggi is now part of the Merrybet,” Digital Communication and Partnerships Leads, Merrybet said. “He has over the years shown the attitude and charisma of a true champion. This relationship is a promising one and it further emphasizes that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you’ve been through, believe in yourself and you halfway there,” the department’s leads stated

“We are happy and we look forward to a great relationship with Broda Shaggi”, Digital Communication and Partnerships Leads, Merrybet expresses.

The organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), Charterhouse Ghana are calling on qualified Ghanaian creatives to submit their projects under the year of review ahead of the 22nd edition of the annual event that seeks to celebrates recording and performing talents who have been phenomenal in their endeavor in the country and across the continent in various genres including highlife, Afropop, hiplife and traditional music.

According to organization, the board has started sitting to categorize works that are being submitted from all over the country and beyond. Musicians and other industry practitioners interested in submitting their works are encouraged to visit www.entry.ghanamusicawards.com to enter their works online or to download entry forms which must be submitted at the offices of Charterhouse Productions Ghana not later than 15 February 2021.

Organized in partnership with the Musicians the Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and under the auspices of and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards scheme, which is now in its 22nd year, has grown into a Festival of Music and Entertainment that engages the entire country and beyond.

As part of the build up towards this grand celebration often slated for the month of May, selected members of the Board and other stakeholders are engaging various arms of the industry in a series of dialogues and interactions aimed at improving the scheme for this year and beyond. The outcome of these engagements will be shared with the General Public soon.

The Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Festival is largely a people’s choice awards scheme that seeks to foster the development of the Ghanaian music industry by rewarding and celebrating musicians who have excelled in the seven main music genres of Ghanaian Music; Gospel, Hip-life, Hip hop, Highlife, Afro Pop, Reggae/Dancehall and Traditional. Their music should have been released and received prominence during the year under review.

Last year, the awards ceremony was held virtually on 28 and 29 August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme also honoured the efforts of health workers during the crisis. Highlife singer Kuami Eugene won the coveted Artist of the Year Award. He also picked up his third Highlife Artist of the Year trophy. Other fixtures at the VGMAs, including Sarkodie, Medikal and Kofi Kinaata, will also be looking to make their mark this year.

Read statement below;