Whip Music, the innovative creative-tech company founded by Kenyan tech entrepreneur Melissa Kariuki, has been selected to join the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) flagship initiative, the eTrade for Women Community.
The appointment is a significant victory for Africa’s creative economy, placing Whip Music among a global network of 353 women-led digital enterprises from 69 countries. Kariuki, recently recognized among the GRAMMYs’ 13 Women Shaping African Music (2025), will leverage this platform to champion the inclusion of women and creators in high-level digital-trade policy dialogues worldwide.
Whip Music’s inclusion underscores the growing global influence of Kenya and the wider continent in the digital and creative economy. The company’s membership follows its recent advocacy efforts at the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, where Kariuki championed stronger digital policies to unlock the creative sector’s growth.
The eTrade for Women initiative, supported by the governments of Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, aims to solidify the role of women digital entrepreneurs as influential voices in public policy.
“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.”
Africa’s creative economy is currently valued at US$58.4 billion, but it accounts for less than 0.3% of global creative exports. Whip Music’s advocacy aims to bridge this gap. Analysts project that with the right digital policies and trade frameworks in place, African creative exports could soar to US$200 billion by 2030.
“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 mission goes beyond providing its AI-driven marketing solutions to artists across key markets like the US, UK, Nigeria, and South Africa; it is fundamentally about advocating for the policy frameworks that make sustainable, global success possible for African creators.
Whip Music’s membership in UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women Community ensures that Africa’s creative entrepreneurs now have a formal seat at the table in shaping the policies that will determine the future of global digital trade.