By Bakary Ceesay
Gambian music business consultant and development practitioner Njundu Badjie, popularly known as SORRA, has been appointed National Director of African Music Icons (AMI) in The Gambia.
The appointment places Badjie at the helm of the national phase of the Pan-African music platform, which seeks to promote African music, strengthen professionalism within the industry and increase the visibility of African artists.
The African Music Icons platform brings together musicians, industry professionals, media organisations, sponsors and other stakeholders through an annual continental music competition culminating in a televised awards ceremony.
The initiative seeks to showcase artists, music genres and personalities contributing to the development of Africa’s music industry, while creating opportunities for artists to access wider audiences across the continent and beyond.
According to the terms of reference for the national director, the position is assigned to an individual or legal entity granted a renewable annual licence by the AMI event promoters to organise the national phase of the competition in their country of residence.
A career spanning development and music
Born and raised in Bansang, Central River Region, Badjie has more than two decades of professional experience spanning business development, project management, microfinance, entrepreneurship, community development and music promotion.
He operates Sorra Promotion and Services, an entity registered through the Attorney General’s Chambers’ single-window business registration system and with the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC).
Badjie’s professional experience includes project monitoring and evaluation, needs assessment, research and development, management information systems, data analysis and reporting.
He has also worked extensively with women’s groups and community-based organisations, supporting entrepreneurship, financial literacy, group management and leadership development initiatives.
Badjie holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Development, specialising in Development Management and Governance. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Development, with a specialisation in Management and Entrepreneurship, from the Pan-African Institute for Development, West Africa (PAID-WA), in Buea, Cameroon.
He has worked with the Indigenous Business Advisory Service (IBAS), Kuntaur Area Council and currently serves as Business Development Support Manager at the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA).
Commitment to community development
Beyond his professional career, Badjie has been involved in a number of community development and women’s empowerment initiatives.
His work has included entrepreneurship training, business advisory services and training-of-trainers programmes covering areas such as financial literacy, group management, leadership, horticulture, social entrepreneurship, soap making, tie-dye and batik production.
He also recently facilitated the Africa Women Conference hosted in The Gambia, which brought together women from different parts of Africa to network and explore opportunities in business, media, information and communication technology and entertainment.
At the community level, Badjie has supported initiatives aimed at improving access to basic services and strengthening local development. These include contributions to the establishment of a community radio station in Bansang and support for the provision of boreholes to improve access to potable water.
He has also supported local sports development, particularly football teams in Janjanbureh, Bansang, Mabali, Sukur Kunda and Sololo.
Long association with the music industry
Badjie’s interest in music dates back several decades. Between 1997 and 2022, he was involved in music promotion and artist management, working with established and emerging Gambian musicians.
His activities have included artist management, promotion, event organisation and support for musicians both in The Gambia and abroad.
He also served for two years as Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Music Promoters, Producers, Artists Managers and Music Presenters Association.
As part of his involvement in the music sector, Badjie has supported initiatives designed to promote female artists. One such initiative brought together 16 Gambian female musicians on a single platform to promote collaboration, unity and greater exposure for women in music.
He also played a role in establishing an entertainment platform at the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) trade fair.
In 2022, he initiated a Community-Based Entrepreneurship (CBE) programme aimed at equipping selected communities with skills in social enterprise development and strengthening their capacity for sustainable economic activity.
The programme was designed to contribute to employment creation, innovation, poverty reduction and wealth creation, while supporting the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and The Gambia’s national development priorities.
With his appointment as National Director of African Music Icons in The Gambia, Badjie’s professional experience in music promotion, entrepreneurship and community development is expected to inform his work in coordinating the country’s participation in the continental initiative.
The AMI platform aims to use music as a vehicle for promoting African talent, strengthening the continent’s music ecosystem and connecting artists with audiences, industry partners and commercial opportunities across Africa and internationally.