AFRIMA 2025 – Lagos, Nigeria announced as Host City

AFRIMA 2025 – Lagos, Nigeria announced as Host City: It is official! Lagos, Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest and most vibrant cities, has been chosen to host the 2025 prestigious All Africa Music Awards. (AFRIMA) They will welcome leading and budding African music superstars as well as creative industry professionals. Also, international media, members of the diplomatic corps and fans of African music from around the world.

At a landmark event held on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia the African Union also revealed the much-awaited AFRIMA 2025 Calendar. Detailing the events, key dates, and milestones that will lead up to the grand finale which will take place on November 25-30, 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria.

The AFRIMA 2025 is anchored on a bold theme titled, ‘Unstoppable Africa,’ which was also one of the key elements revealed at the Addis Ababa event.

Jointly Announcing Lagos as host city for AFRIMA 2025 was Jannet Hadadi from Morocco and Angela Martins. Jannet is a key figure in music distribution and publishing in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Angela is Director for Social Development, Culture and Sport at the African Union Commission. She declared that the state has consistently been an excellent host. She also noted that Lagos’ strong track record is a key reason the AU and the International Committee are confident it will once again deliver a world-class event.

“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, and security and transport systems that make it ideal for hosting a major global event,” ~ Angela Martins

AFRIMA 2025 is expected to feature over 1,600 nominees, including their teams, over 60,000 visitors and delegates, more than 2,300 production crew members, and an audience of over 400 million viewers globally during the live broadcast.

Call for entry to AFRIMA 2025

At the unveiling, the AUC and International Committee also announced that the entry submission for AFRIMA 2025 will officially open on May 27. It will then close on August 8, 2025. Artists, producers, songwriters, and other music professionals from across the continent and diaspora are encouraged to submit their works here via the AFRIMA digital portal www.afrima.org.

The well-attended 2025 AFRIMA Music Conference featured two explosive panel sessions. Conversations were centered around the future of African music in the world. Included were monetization, Skill acquisition and knowledge sharing. Also featured were intellectual property regimes, royalty and collecting society and leveraging the intersection between technology, AI, IOT and media. This includes music beyond borders and sustaining global collaborations.

#RoadToAFRIMA2025 city Tours

The calendar also outlined a series of major events leading up to the main awards ceremony. This will include country and city tours. The #RoadToAFRIMA2025 Tour will energize cities across Africa and the diaspora. It will kick off in Morocco, and then continue to Tanzania, Paris, Cote d’Ivoire, and London. The tour will return to Nigeria in Delta State before culminating in Namibia from October 31 to November 1.

The adjudication process will be held from August 12–19. The World Media Conference announcing the 2025 nominees is scheduled for August 27. Public voting will open on September 5 and close on November 28, 2025.

The celebration will hit its peak during the AFRIMA 2025 Awards Week. This, from November 25 to 30. Expect exciting events like the Diamond Showcase (Nov 25–27), Opening Soirée (Nov 26), Africa Music Business Summit (Nov 27–28) and Music Icons’ Night. (Nov 27) Also, school visits and the AFRIMA Music Village/Festival, Host City Tour and Luncheon Reception (Nov 28). These will be followed by the Nominees & Industry Party and ending with the Main Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 30. Live Broadcast on 109 stations in 84 countries across the world.