Tiwa Savage just made the most important move of her career yet, and it has nothing to do with a new single. It is the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation.
On 25 February 2026, Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known simply as Tiwa Savage, the undisputed Queen of Afrobeats, announced the launch of her eponymous music foundation. With it comes a landmark partnership with the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. This partnership will bring world-class music education straight to Lagos.
Why the Queen Launched the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation
This is not a celebrity vanity project for Tiwa Savage. She sees it as her legacy. 
“Afrobeats has grown globally, and I felt a responsibility to help build a structure behind the sound,” Tiwa told Forbes Africa. “Music opened doors for me. I’ve always seen how many talented creatives never really get access to training, mentorship, and industry pathways.”
The foundation’s flagship initiative, the Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme, runs from 23–26 April 2026 in Lagos. It is the first-ever Berklee on the Road event in Nigeria.
It will be a four-day, fully funded intensive course for 100 emerging African creatives. The course will cover music production, songwriting, sound engineering, music publishing, copyright, and entertainment law. Applications are open until 20 March 2026, and there is no tuition cost for accepted participants.
What makes this particularly significant is the breadth of who it targets. The foundation is not just for artists. Tiwa Savage is laser-focused on the full music value chain. That involves producers, sound engineers, publishers, and music therapists.
She wants to build the invisible architecture that holds the industry together. “We have a lot of artistes, but we need the industry that will sustain the artistes,” she said.
Why Berklee College of Music?
Tiwa Savage herself attended Berklee on a partial scholarship, graduating in 2007. Also, annual tuition at leading international music schools now runs between $40,000 and $60,000. That’s a financial wall most young African creatives will never scale.
“Talent alone isn’t enough,” she told CNN. “Structure, education, and exposure are what allow creatives to compete globally.”
The timing just feels right. Sub-Saharan Africa’s recorded music revenues surpassed $110 million in 2024, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Also, Afrobeats streams on Spotify have grown over 500% in the past five years.
But Tiwa warns that visibility is not the same as power. “We have the world’s attention now. But education is what turns visibility into empowerment.”
DID YOU MISS? Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya: Who Are Spotify’s Top 5 Artists in Each Country?
Tiwa Savage Hopes to Build a Legacy
Standout participants from the Lagos programme will be considered for scholarships to Berklee’s Boston campus. Additionally, in the long term, the vision is a permanent brick-and-mortar music school on the continent.
“To build something that outlives me,” she said. “Something that creates structure, opportunity, and ownership for future generations.” The Queen is here to build the institution that makes crowns possible.
Applications for the Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme are open now and close on 20 March 2026. Visit the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation website to apply.
About The Author
Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News
