Geneva, Switzerland 16 September 2025: Melissa Kariuki, Founder and CEO of Whip Music and one of the GRAMMYs’ 13 Women Shaping African Music (2025), will speak at the prestigious World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum 2025 in Geneva on 18 September 2025.
This invitation follows Kariuki’s recognition as a member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and her inclusion on Hotlist Africa’s Top 30 Executives in the African Music Industry (2025), further establishing her as one of Africa’s most influential young leaders at the intersection of creativity, technology, and trade.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global organization that formulates and enforces the rules of trade between nations, with 166-member countries representing over 98 percent of global trade and GDP. The Public Forum is the largest global trade policy platform, drawing government leaders, corporate executives, academics, and civil society to discuss the future of trade. Being invited to speak is exceptionally prestigious as it marks Kariuki as a recognized emerging global thought leader.
Kariuki will speak in a session titled “Bridging Digital Divides Through Local Solutions”, highlighting how enabling digital policies and technology infrastructure can allow African creators to scale globally and strengthen the continent’s role in the world economy.
“I am honoured to be invited by the WTO to share Africa’s perspective on digital trade and creativity as a driver of global growth. For too long, creativity has been seen as culture, but it is also one of Africa’s highest-potential commodities. With the right digital policies and local solutions, African creators can reach global markets, scale new industries, and shape the future of trade. As a young, African woman in technology and the creative economy, it is a privilege to represent our continent at this global forum and to ensure our voices and solutions are part of the world’s trade agenda.” – Melissa Kariuki.
Kariuki will join Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, and an influential lineup of speakers, including:
Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD
Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of Technology, UNCTAD
Aissatou Diallo, Chief, Office for Africa, International Trade Centre
Katherine Wang, Amazon Web Services, Manager of Trade and Supply Chain Policy
Claire Alexandra, Head of International Government Relations, PayPal
Christian Keller, Chair and General Manager, IBM Switzerland
Fancy Too, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Office
Dr. Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, Executive Director, South African Institute of International Affairs
Creativity as Africa’s Next Global Commodity
Africa’s creative economy, currently valued at US$58.4 billion, accounts for roughly 4 percent of the continent’s GDP but represents less than 0.3 percent of global creative exports. For example, in one of Africa’s largest economies, South Africa, the creative sector generated roughly the same amount of revenue as agriculture at US$8.7 billion (R161 billion) in 2020. Analysts predict that with the right digital policies and trade frameworks, African creative exports could reach US$200 billion by 2030, potentially accounting for 10 percent of global creative goods trade.
Kariuki’s contribution to the WTO Public Forum underscores the growing recognition of creativity not only as cultural expression but also as a strategic commodity with transformative trade potential.
About Melissa Kariuki
Melissa Kariuki is the Founder and CEO of Whip Music, a music-tech company helping artists unlock their next one billion fans. Whip Music currently supports African artists in promoting their music across the US, the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Canada, enabling them to export their music and grow global audiences.
Kariuki is also a Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) member, was recognized on the GRAMMYs’ 13 Women Shaping African Music (2025), and was named on Hotlist Africa’s Top 30 Executives in the African Music Industry (2025).
Her career includes product roles at Google and Meta, as well as experience across Asia, Europe, the United States, and Africa with organizations including Bain & Company, H&M, the Gates Foundation, and INSEAD. She holds a First-Class Honours degree from the African Leadership University in Mauritius and a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs as a Patrice Motsepe Fellow and Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where she graduated with a 99 percent distinction for her thesis on blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 regulation.
About Whip Music
Whip Music is a music-tech company on a mission to help artists unlock their next one billion fans. The platform leverages technology to provide access to music and video distribution, editorial playlisting, TV placements, radio, press, influencer marketing, and social media advertising. Whether an artist has zero fans or one million, Whip Music empowers them to grow and monetize their fanbase globally.
For more information, visit whipservices.com or contact [email protected].
About the World Trade Organization (WTO)
The WTO is the only global organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. With 166 member countries, it represents more than 98 per cent of global trade and GDP. Its mission is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible while serving as a forum for negotiating trade agreements and settling disputes.
The WTO Public Forum is the organization’s largest annual outreach event, providing a platform for world leaders, business executives, academics, and civil society to debate pressing trade and development issues.
