Whip Music Joins United Nation’s eTrade for Women Initiative
Whip Music, a music-tech company founded by Melissa Kariuki – recently recognised among the GRAMMYs’ 13 Women Shaping African Music (2025) – has been selected to join the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) flagship initiative, eTrade for Women.
The appointment places Whip Music among 353 women-led digital enterprises from 69 countries championing inclusive digital trade and sustainable growth.
The company’s inclusion underscores Africa’s growing global influence in the creative and digital economy and marks a major milestone for women-founded tech ventures shaping Africa’s role in global trade.
eTrade for Women, supported by the governments of Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, aims to strengthen the role of women digital entrepreneurs as influential voices in public-policy dialogues at the local, regional and global levels.
“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,” said Melissa Kariuki, Founder & CEO of Whip Music. “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.
With the backing of the United Nations, Whip Music will actively amplify its voice in policymaking spaces to ensure women and creatives are included in shaping a more equitable digital economy.”
This milestone follows Whip Music’s representation at the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland last month, where Kariuki discussed the creative economy’s role in global trade and the policy frameworks needed to unlock its growth.
Africa’s creative economy is valued at US$58.4 billion, contributing about 4% of the continent’s GDP, yet it represents less than 0.3% of global creative exports.
With the right digital policies and trade frameworks, analysts project that African creative exports could reach US$200 billion by 2030, potentially accounting for 10% of global creative goods trade.
Whip Music’s membership in eTrade for Women underscores the growing recognition of Africa’s creative industries, not merely as cultural assets but as strategic drivers of global trade.
“For too long, creativity has been seen purely as culture,” Kariuki added. “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.”
The company’s growth reflects a broader African movement: the rise of women-led, tech-enabled creative enterprises redefining how global audiences experience African culture.
Whip Music’s inclusion in UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women Community represents a continuation of this mission, ensuring Africa’s creative entrepreneurs have a seat at the table in shaping the policies that will determine the future of digital trade.
eTrade for Women is a global initiative launched by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2019 to empower women digital entrepreneurs in developing and emerging economies.
Through mentorship, policy engagement and community building, the initiative supports women founders as they scale their businesses and shape inclusive digital ecosystems.
Whip Music is a music-tech company headquartered in Johannesburg, on a mission to help artists unlock their next one billion fans.
