By Oluchi Omai
5 November 2025 - Johannesburg-based music-tech firm Whip Music has been selected to join the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) eTrade for Women initiative, a global platform empowering women-led digital enterprises from developing economies.
The appointment places founder and CEO Melissa Kariuki among 353 pioneering women entrepreneurs from 69 countries whose businesses are helping to shape more inclusive digital trade policies and sustainable economic growth. Her inclusion marks a significant moment for Africa’s creative sector, spotlighting the continent’s rising influence at the intersection of technology, culture, and international commerce.
Founded to help African artists “unlock their next one billion fans,” Whip Music provides AI-driven marketing tools, global music distribution, playlisting, influencer outreach, and digital advertising services. Since its inception, the company has supported musicians in promoting their work across the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Canada, enabling them not only to reach new audiences but also to export their creative output as a tradable digital good.
Kariuki, recently named by the GRAMMYs as one of “13 Women Shaping African Music” in 2025, said the recognition came with a duty to ensure creative voices are heard where trade rules are made.
“There are so many women running digital trade businesses across Africa; many without even realising that what they do every day is part of global trade,” she said. “Yet, too often, women are left out of the policy conversations that define how that trade works. For us, joining this network isn’t just an honour—it’s a responsibility.”
Africa’s creative economy is already valued at $58.4 billion, contributing roughly 4% to the continent’s GDP. But it accounts for less than 0.3% of global creative exports—a gap experts say could close dramatically with the right digital infrastructure and trade frameworks. Analysts project that with supportive policies, African creative exports could surge to $200 billion by 2030, potentially representing 10% of the global market for creative goods.
Kariuki, who previously held product roles at Google and Meta and worked with institutions including Bain & Company, the Gates Foundation, and INSEAD, has long advocated for creatives to be seen not just as cultural contributors but as economic actors with export potential.
“For too long, creativity has been seen purely as culture,” she remarked. “It’s one of Africa’s highest-potential commodities. With the right digital infrastructure and trade frameworks, African creators can reach global markets, scale new industries and shape the future of digital trade.”
Her appointment to the eTrade for Women community follows Whip Music’s participation in the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum in Geneva last month, where Kariuki addressed policymakers on the need for updated trade regulations that reflect the realities of digital creativity.
Launched in 2019 and backed by the governments of Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women initiative connects women digital entrepreneurs with mentorship, policy forums, and peer networks. Its aim is to amplify their influence in public-policy dialogues at local, regional, and international levels—helping to close the persistent gender gap in the digital economy.
UNCTAD, headquartered in Geneva, serves as the United Nations’ focal point on trade and development, particularly for developing nations. Its support for Whip Music underscores a growing consensus: that Africa’s creative industries are not merely cultural assets but strategic engines of trade, innovation, and job creation.
Kariuki’s leadership exemplifies a broader movement across the continent rise of women-led, tech-enabled creative enterprises that are redefining how global audiences experience African music, film, fashion, and digital content.
Now, with a seat at the policy table, Whip Music is poised to help ensure that the next chapter of global digital trade includes the voices, visions, and ventures of Africa’s creators.
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