Meet Liban Soleman who has just been named the Executive Director of the Grammy Awards for Africa and a Special Advisor to the CEO of the Recording Academy. Notably, The Recording Academy - the organization behind the prestigious Grammy Awards - has reportedly been implementing an Africa Strategy and has hired Liban Soleman to provide direction and assistance. This update has recently become apparent with the introduction of their Best African Performance Category, among other sources.
Fair enough to note that Libyan Soleman is an expert in African political and economic development. After a brief stint as a business developer in the private sector in Israel and the US, Soleman transitioned to the African public sector and quickly held important positions within the Gabonese government before the age of 30 (Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Gabonvision 2025). He currently advises numerous African governments and Funds on FDI and value chain initiatives in addition to serving on the Rwanda Development Board and the Kigali International Financial Center.
Furthermore, Liban Soleman is a well-known advocate and enthusiast of Afro-culture. He is a skilled advocate of the need to create black excellence and Afro-positive narratives and memoirs, as well as the underlying cultures that influence these narratives. Till date, Liban actively invests in venture capital and is directly involved in a number of impact ventures.
The lack of revenues in the African music industry has been a persistent issue for Liban Soleman, who has also started discussions about creating a model that is tailored to the circumstances of the continent. The leadership of the Grammy’s Recording Academy has probably been attracted by Liban’s multihat portfolio and profile which is definitely a good move.
You can watch and see Liban Soleman speak on NWE HERE