Nigerian Afrobeats Artist Tiwa Savage has announced the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and a first-of-its-kind partnership with Berklee College of Music, bringing world-class training directly to Lagos for emerging music creatives.
Tiwa Savage unveiled the initiative on her social media platforms on February 25, underscoring a shift in her mission from building global fame to building infrastructure at home. “After years of building globally… It’s time to build at home,” the singer wrote, introducing her new foundation as a vehicle to empower African creatives through access, mentorship and quality music education.
The Tiwa Savage Music Foundation is designed to address a key challenge facing Africa’s thriving music culture: a gap between raw talent and professional training. While Afrobeats and other African sounds have become global phenomena, many emerging artists, producers, composers and music-business professionals still lack access to structured, high-level education that equips them for long-term careers. Savage has said that talent is universal, but the access is a gap she hopes her foundation will help close.
At the heart of the foundation’s debut efforts is the Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme, a four-day immersive training scheduled for April 23–26, 2026 in Lagos. This flagship programme, the first time Berklee has delivered its curriculum in West Africa will bring faculty from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, based in Boston, Massachusetts, to lead instruction and mentorship for 100 selected participants.
Berklee is widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary music schools, known for its excellence across genres, from jazz and pop to hip-hop and world music. The Lagos intensive will reflect that breadth, with hands-on sessions covering music production, songwriting, harmony and ear training, sound engineering, music publishing, copyright and entertainment law, and insights into the business side of the industry. It’s designed to meet participants where they are, expanding their creative range while growing their professional understanding.
Savage’s own journey helped shape the foundation’s goals. The multi-award-winning artist first attended Berklee on scholarship, an experience she credits with transforming her perspective on music, creativity and the business behind it. Citing the steep tuition costs of leading music schools, often tens of thousands of dollars per year, she has made a point of fully funding this initial programme so that the cost of elite training doesn’t stand in the way of talented young Africans.
Participants will not only receive tuition-free training but also have the chance to be considered for future opportunities, including scholarships to study at Berklee’s campus in Boston or through its online courses. The programme will culminate in live performances where students can showcase their original works, blending their unique voices with the global skills they’ve acquired.
Applications for the Berklee in Nigeria programme opened on February 25, 2026 and will remain open until March 20, 2026. Applicants from across Africa, not just Nigeria are invited to apply, with the foundation aiming to draw a diverse cohort of songwriters, producers, performers and industry creatives.
Beyond the first intensive, there’s a broader vision. Reports indicate that Savage hopes the foundation will grow into enduring structures, possibly including a permanent music school on the continent that support the full ecosystem of creative professions. That kind of investment in people, training and access comes at a time when African music is gaining unprecedented traction worldwide, yet still needs deeper systemic support to turn global attention into sustainable careers and industry growth.
With this initiative, Tiwa Savage is not only sharing her platform but building ladders for others to join her transforming her success into opportunity for the next generation of African creative talent.
