The vibrant heart of Nigeria, Lagos, has officially been crowned the host city for the 2025 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA). The African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Committee of AFRIMA have entrusted Lagos with the honour of welcoming Africa’s brightest musical talents, industry leaders, international media and passionate fans from across the globe for the prestigious event.
The announcement, made at a significant event held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, May 13 also unveiled the highly anticipated AFRIMA 2025 Calendar. This detailed schedule outlines the key events and milestones leading up to the grand finale, which will take place in Lagos from November 25 to 30, 2025.
The overarching theme for this year’s AFRIMA is a powerful declaration: ‘Unstoppable Africa.’
Jointly Announcing Lagos as the host city for AFRIMA 2025 with Jannet Hadadi from Morocco,a key figure in music distribution and publishing in Northern Africa and the middle East,Angela Martins, Director for Social Development, Culture and Sport at the African Union Commission, said the state has consistently been an excellent host She 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,” she said.
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.
At the unveiling, which took place at the AFRIMA 2025 Music Conference, the AUC and the International Committee, announced that the entry submission for AFRIMA 2025 will officially 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 digital portal.www.afrima.org.
The well attended 2025 AFRIMA music Conference featured two explosive panel sessions with conversations centered around the future of African music in the world, monetization, Skill acquisition and knowledge sharing, intellectual property regimes, royalty and collecting society, 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. The #RoadToAFRIMA2025 Tour will energize cities across Africa and the diaspora. It will kick off in Morocco ,then continue to Tanzania,Paris, Côte 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, while 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 from November 25 to 30, with exciting events like the Diamond Showcase (Nov 25–27), Opening Soirée (Nov 26), Africa Music Business Summit (Nov 27–28), Music Icons’ Night (Nov 27), school visits and the AFRIMA Music Village/Festival, Host City Tour and Luncheon Reception (Nov 28) 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.