Nigerian pop sensation Ayra Starr and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard have been added to the list of stars for the Giants of Africa Festival 2025, which will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 26 to August 2.

Giants of Africa Festival 2025 will bring together 320 young athletes from 20 African nations, and more than 20,000 spectators for a week of community, culture, basketball, education, and entertainment.

Ayra Starr will perform at the festival’s closing concert on August 2, joining a powerhouse line-up that includes Afrobeats stars Kizz Daniel and Timaya.

Additionally, local Rwandan artist Alyn Sano is now set to perform at the festival’s inaugural Threads of Africa Fashion Show on July 31.

Launching a week of unforgettable music moments, the festival’s exhilarating opening show on July 27 will feature performances by South African DJ phenomenon Uncle Waffles and MTV VMA-winning choreographer Sherrie Silver. Rwandan stars Kevin Kade, Ruti Joël, Boukuru and Chriss Easy will also perform on the opening weekend.

Two-time NBA champion Leonard has also been added to the Giants of Africa Festival 2025’s all-star line-up.

The LA Clippers forward will mentor youth campers, open a new basketball court in partnership with Giants of Africa at St Ignatius School, and host a special clinic for 50 local youth at Club Rafiki in one of Kigali’s most underserved districts.

Additional celebrity guests appearing throughout the week include Robin Roberts, Chiney Ogwumike, Didier Drogba, Michael Blackson, Boris Kodjoe, and more.

Giants of Africa is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering African youth through basketball, founded by basketball executive and former player Masai Ujiri.

Ujiri recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and Good Morning America to discuss how the festival unites communities, spark potential, and drive transformative change across the continent.

The Nigerian Copyright Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has in Abuja reiterated its commitment to combat online piracy in the creative industry.

Director, Public Affair, Copyright Commission, Ijeoma Egbunike quoted the commission’s Director-General, Dr John Asein, as saying this during a courtesy visit to the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida.

According to Asein, the two commissions renewed their commitment to inter-agency collaboration to stem online piracy and protect the nation’s creative industry from further harm.

Asein commended the leadership of NCC in driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and connectivity agenda.

He noted the Communications commission’s pivotal role in fostering a safe online environment for creativity to flourish in Nigeria.

He, therefore, stressed the need for deeper collaboration between the two agencies in the fight against copyright piracy to enhance the growth of the creative economy.

“Online piracy poses a significant threat and undermines the efforts of authors and investors.

“We, therefore, want to secure our online environment and guarantee Nigeria’s digital future,” he said.

Asein emphasised that the collaboration would address both international and local concerns over rising online piracy.

“The collaboration will help develop and implement appropriate regulatory measures for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other intermediaries.

“It will also ensure compliance with the Copyright Act, 2022; and support government policies on growing the creative economy,’’ he said.

He decried the disruptive impact of online piracy on the creative economy, adding that it undermined the efforts of content creators and investors.

Asein observed that the increasing role of ISPs and intermediaries in content dissemination made it imperative to clearly define their obligations under the Copyright Act 2022.

He highlighted the Draft Copyright Enforcement Guidelines for ISPs and Intermediaries, developed by the commission and sought the support of the NCC in operationalising the document.

“Curbing the online piracy again underscores the need for ISPs and other intermediaries to be more proactive and act responsibly as part of the proposed collaboration,” he said.

The copyright commission boss recommended the establishment of an inter-agency task force to tackle online copyright piracy.

He also proposed the creation of a multi-stakeholder forum comprising ISPs, regulators and enforcement agencies to protect copyrights.

He said the effort should also involve the development of a Code of Practice for ISPs with clear obligations and accountability frameworks.

Responding, Maida commended the Copyright Commission for its effort in clamping down on illegal sites and digital platforms to address online infringements.

Maida, represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, welcomed the call for deeper collaboration.

He emphasised on the need for urgent action to check online piracy in the creative industry.

Maida emphasised the need for an early signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations towards enhancing the collaboration.

He assured Asein that the NCC would review the draft Copyright Enforcement Guidelines for ISPs and Intermediaries for further action.

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Senegal has officially pulled the plug on Akon’s ambitious plan to build a $6 billion futuristic smart city, citing little progress and unresolved financial issues.

The project, which the American-Senegalese singer announced in 2020, was meant to turn the quiet village of Mbodiène into a high-tech “Wakanda-like” city.

Fed up with the delays, the Senegalese government has now taken back most of the land and replaced the plan with a more realistic $1.2 billion resort and tourism development.

“That project no longer exists,” Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of SAPCO (Senegal’s coastal development agency), told local media, confirming the government’s final decision.

Last year, authorities gave Akon a final warning to begin construction or lose the land after reports emerged that payments to SAPCO had stopped.

With no real construction in sight and financial backers pulling back, the government has now handed the land over to SAPCO for a new state-led project that is expected to attract private investors and create thousands of jobs.

New Plan, New Focus

SAPCO plans to develop a tourism hub with an investment of 665 billion CFA francs (about $1.2 billion). About 600 billion CFA francs will come from private investors, while the government will provide the remaining 65 billion.

Although Akon has lost the bulk of the land, he will be allowed to retain just 8 hectares for a smaller, less ambitious development.

The government says the new project will still deliver economic opportunities for the area, with the first phase expected to create around 15,000 jobs.

The dream of a tech-powered Akon City may have faded, but officials say the people of Mbodiène will still benefit — just not in the way Akon originally promised.