AFRIMA 2025: Lagos named host city as AU unveils event calendar
Lagos, Nigeria, has been officially named the host city for the 2025 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), following an announcement by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the AFRIMA International Committee during a special event at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, May 13.
The 2025 edition, themed “Unstoppable Africa,” will celebrate the global rise of African music and is scheduled to take place from November 25 to 30. The official event calendar was also unveiled at the launch.
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Angela Martins, AUC’s Director for Social Development, Culture, and Sport, cited Lagos’ vibrant music scene, cultural significance, and strong infrastructure as key reasons for its selection.
AFRIMA 2025 is expected to host over 1,600 nominees, attract more than 60,000 visitors and delegates, employ 2,300 production staff, and reach over 400 million viewers in 84 countries through broadcasts on 109 global stations.
The call for entries will open on May 27 and close on August 8, 2025. Artists, producers, and music professionals across Africa and the diaspora are invited to submit their works via the official AFRIMA portal at www.afrima.org.
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The #RoadToAFRIMA2025 tour will energize audiences across Africa and the diaspora with stops in Morocco, Tanzania, Paris, Côte d’Ivoire, London, Delta State (Nigeria), and Namibia. The adjudication process will run from August 12–19, with the nominee announcement set for August 27. Public voting will open on September 5 and close on November 28.
The AFRIMA Music Conference, held alongside the announcement, featured panel discussions on music monetization, intellectual property, cross-border collaboration, and the role of technology and artificial intelligence in African music’s global reach.
The AFRIMA 2025 Awards Week will take place from November 25 to 30, featuring the Diamond Showcase, Opening Soirée, Africa Music Business Summit, Music Icons’ Night, school visits, Host City Tour, Music Village Festival, Nominees & Industry Party, and the main Awards Ceremony.
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