• Entries open May 27; awards for Nov 30
The African Union Commission (AUC) has given reasons why Lagos was chosen as the host city for the 10th edition of the prestigious All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) taking place from November 25-30, 2025.
In a major announcement at a landmark event held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the duo of Moroccan Jannet Hadadi, a key figure in music distribution and publishing in Northern Africa/Middle East and Angela Martins, Director for Social Development, Culture and Sport at African Union Commission, said Lagos’ strong track records for hosting major international events is a key reason for its choice as host city for a world-class award ceremony like AFRIMA.
“I warmly congratulate the city of Lagos for being chosen to host AFRIMA 2025. The city truly reflects the spirit of African music full of rhythm, creativity and vibrant energy. Lagos has the right mix of modern facilities, good hospitality, strong media presence, security and transport systems that make it ideal for hosting a major global event (like AFRIMA),” Angela Martins stated.
With the theme: ‘Unstoppable Africa’, this year’s edition of AFRIMA is expected to feature over 1,600 nominees, including their teams, over 60,000 visitors and delegates, more than 2,300 production crewmembers, and over 400 million viewers globally during the live broadcast.
Meanwhile, entry submission for the awards will open on May 27 and close on August 8, 2025. Artists, producers, songwriters and other music professionals from across the continent and Diaspora are encouraged to submit their works via the AFRIMA portal: www.afrima.org.
The Addis Ababa event featured two panel sessions, with conversations revolving around the future of African music, monetization, skill acquisition and knowledge sharing, intellectual property regimes, as well as royalty and collecting society.
Others include leveraging intersection between technology, AI, IOT and media, music beyond borders, and sustaining global collaborations.
The calendar also outlines a series of major events leading up to the main awards ceremony, including country and city tours tagged: ‘The #RoadToAFRIMA2025 Tour’, which kicks off in Morocco and going as far as Tanzania, Paris, Cote d’Ivoire and London. The tour will return to Delta State, Nigeria before heading to Namibia from October 31 to November 1, 2025.
The adjudication process will hold from August 12–19, while the World Media Conference announcing the nominees is scheduled for August 27, with public voting opening on September 5 and closing on November 28, 2025.
The celebration will hit its peak during the AFRIMA 2025 Awards Week from November 25 to 30, with exciting events like Diamond Showcase (Nov 25–27), Opening Soirée (Nov 26), Africa Music Business Summit (Nov 27–28), Music Icons Night (Nov 27); School Visits, AFRIMA Music Village/Festival, Host City Tour and Luncheon Reception (Nov 28), followed by Nominees and Industry Party, and ending with the Main Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 30. The awards will be aired live on 109 TV stations in 84 countries across the world.
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