Eddie Hatitye is a visionary cultural leader, music executive, and social entrepreneur with over a decade of impact in Africa’s creative economy. He is the Founding Executive Director of the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF), a non-profit pan-African initiative headquartered in Johannesburg that he has led since its inception in 2011. Under
Eddie is also the Founding Director of ACCES (The Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases)—a premier pan-African music market connecting industry stakeholders, artists, and entrepreneurs from across the globe. He is the Founder of InterArts Funding, a platform supporting arts initiatives and creative enterprises in Africa.
Holding an MBA and an Honours Degree in Music and Musicology, Eddie brings both strategic insight and artistic depth to the sector. His influence spans a wide range of initiatives, including artist mobility programs, continent-wide funding schemes, talent discovery platforms, conferences, concerts, festivals, business development programs, and research efforts aimed at nurturing the African music ecosystem.
Before founding MIAF, Eddie served as Senior Project Manager at the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg and was Head of Content and Editor at Music Industry Online, South Africa’s leading online music portal at the time. He also helped launch Pro-Systems, a respected trade publication focused on the live events and broadcast industries.
Eddie is also an accomplished record producer, forming one half of the production duo Epic Minds. Through this collaboration, he has produced for celebrated African artists including Skales (Nigeria), BET-nominated Camidoh (Ghana), and S’Villa (South Africa).
Widely respected as a thought leader in the creative sector, Eddie has been invited to speak at top global industry platforms such as MIDEM (France), WOMEX (UK), Music Exchange and Moshito (South Africa), Musikmesse (Germany), Canadian Music Week (Canada), and the Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE).
A passionate advocate for Africa’s creative industries, Eddie Hatitye continues to build transformative platforms that drive innovation, opportunity, and connection across the continent and beyond.
