Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
On Tuesday night, the atmosphere at The Palms Mall Lagos, Nigeria, was feel-good and engulfed by a sense of warmth as it opened its door to host EGOT-winning, critically-acclaimed American artist and producer John Legend for Global Citizen’s first ever Move Afrika show in the city.
From young to old, couples and singles, friends and soon-to-be-friends, celebrities and regular folk, everyone mixed in the crowd of the indoor hall in eager anticipation of what was billed to be an “unforgettable night of music and citizen-led advocacy”. DJ Consequence kicked off the show with an electrifying set before singer and songwriter, Simi, quickly followed suit. And right on schedule (a very rare occurrence for seasoned concert goers in Lagos) John Legend took to the stage to deliver renditions of his greatest hits including “PDA”, “Ordinary People”, “Green Light”, and “All of Me” clad in pieces from Nigerian designers, Eleven Sixteen and Orange Culture.
“It’s been too long, I’ve missed you all,” he said addressing the crowd. “We’re thankful to Global Citizen and Move Afrika for bringing us back here. We belong together, Lagos. I’m so happy we’re together tonight.”
Launched back in 2023, Move Afrika set its sights on a long-term mission towards pioneering the international music touring ecosystem across the continent of Africa with a dedicated focus on driving economic investment, expanding infrastructure by building local capacity within host cities, creating local jobs, generating skill training and youth entrepreneurship opportunities, and showcasing the best of African creative talent to the world. Its Lagos show was delivered with 90 percent local crew, and more than 95 percent local equipment, demonstrating Nigeria’s continent-leading role in delivering world class productions.
The 2025 edition builds on previous campaigns and events across Africa, including the 2023 edition of Move Afrika: Rwanda, headlined by Kendrick Lamar; Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, featuring Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Martin of Coldplay in Johannesburg, South Africa, Global Citizen Festival: Accra, which brought Usher, Sza, Stormzy, and Tems in 2022, and more.
“Adding a second location to the Move Afrika tour this year is a major step in the direction of establishing the pan-continental music touring circuit that both international and local artists will leverage for years to come. It’s this kind of incremental growth by which, year after year, we’ll continue pioneering and pushing our vision towards reality,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder & CEO, Global Citizen. “Nigeria has an incredibly rich musical heritage, a well established local entertainment industry, and a cultural influence that reverberates right across the globe. We are honored to have added Nigeria to the Move Afrika tour,and look forward to returning for the years to come.” Additionally, Global Citizen is leveraging this year’s Move Afrika tour to drive an advocacy campaign focused on strengthening health systems across Africa.
“We just be doing shit,” he says. “Sometimes I do a couple songs, sometimes I only do one song. Sometimes I do five songs. I work every day though, so I make a boundless amount.” Hopefully, the new artists around him are taking notes.
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