Akon’s wife to invest more than 6 billion in Uganda

The wife of the musician Alioune Badara Thiam aka « Akon », Rozina Negusei, announced that she will invest 12 million dollars (6.5 billion CFA francs) in the Ugandan entertainment industry over five years.

Rozina Negusei, a Senegalese-American entrepreneur and wife of award-winning musician Alioune Badara Thiam aka « Akon », has announced that she will invest US$12 million (CFAF 6.5 billion) in Uganda’s entertainment industry over the next five years, reports the local entertainment platform, Sqoop. Negusei, who is the president and CEO of Zanar Entertainment, Entreeg Records & Entreeg Entertainment Group, would be in the East African country to explore a multitude of business opportunities in which to invest.

« We are here to explore new opportunities in Uganda. We are here to explore new opportunities in Uganda. We are focusing on investing in agriculture, solar and real estate. Our main objective is to see how we can bridge the gap between East Africa and West Africa in terms of business and trade, » she said.

Rozina Negusei was invited to Uganda by the managing director of East African Partners (EAP), Isaac Kigozi. She also came with a contingent of Turkish investors, and they are about to visit some government departments, agencies, as well as some private sector institutions.

« We wanted to bring entertainment to Africa, we are looking for a hub, a home for Africa Hollywood. America became America not because of agriculture but because of the entertainment industry. If we bring entertainment, whether it’s movies, music awards, every year Uganda can become the home of the entertainment industry. It is our job to take African films and music to the next level by recognising ourselves, we don’t have to wait for other cultures to recognise us, we are good enough to recognise ourselves, » she hopes.

As part of her visit, Negusei also met with President Yoweri Museveni and praised the 76-year-old man. « I was delighted to meet such an honourable and great leader and a travelling library. He gave me a name, Estella Ihangwe. It was incredible to be in the presence of such a capable leader. I have met several leaders, but President Museveni is exceptionally competent. You are lucky to have such a leader. Seriously, you won’t realise it until he’s gone, » she said.