The African Union (AU) and the International Executive Committee of AFRIMA have announced that the 10th edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) will take place in Lagos, Nigeria from May 18-23, 2027. The main events will culminate in the grand awards ceremony on May 23. The calendar was unveiled at the 10th AFRIMA Creative Industry Roundtable and Global Calendar Unveiling held at Sofitel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.
AFRIMA President/Executive Producer, Mike Dada, announced that the Call for Entries will open worldwide on October 11, 2026, and close on January 10, 2027. Eligible creative works must have been produced and released within the official eligibility period, from August 10, 2025 to January 10, 2027. The collation and pre-screening of entries will take place from January 11-14, followed by adjudication from January 15-22 and the global announcement of nominees on January 29.
Public voting for the 10th AFRIMA awards will run from February 21 to May 21, 2027. Dada also unveiled the international build-up programme, tagged #Road2AFRIMA10Xperience, which will cover several cities including London, Windhoek, Cotonou, Nairobi, Accra, Paris, Warri and Port Harcourt. In Lagos, the AFRIMA 10X Conference, Media Parley and Industry Night will be held on April 14, alongside university activations and concerts between February and April.
The #Road2AFRIMA10Xperience is designed to create new conversations, partnerships, opportunities and pathways for African creativity. Dada emphasized that the 10th edition of AFRIMA will celebrate a decade of African musical excellence while strengthening AFRIMA's contribution to Africa's creative economy. He also highlighted the need for Africa to turn visibility into opportunity, opportunity into investment, and investment into sustainable creative industries.
The Los Angeles unveiling event attracted personalities from Africa and the United States, including comedian Darryl Vega, actors Razz Adeoti, Bayo Akinfemi and Ozie Nzeribe, and digital creator Laurence Brahm. Award-winning American artiste and producer Septimius The Great delivered the welcome remarks, emphasizing the importance of building a bridge between African and American artistes to create opportunities for a bigger global audience.
Narendra Reddy, COO of The Africa Channel, called for a more sustainable African creative economy where creators receive fair commercial value for their work. He emphasized the need for Africa's 54 nations to collaborate and build stronger partnerships with the rest of the world to open markets, attract investment, and take African music and creativity to global audiences.
Established in 2013 by the International Executive Committee of AFRIMA in partnership with the African Union, AFRIMA has become Africa's biggest, most prestigious and longest-running music awards platform. Its broadcast reaches audiences in more than 84 countries, with millions of viewers worldwide. The 10th AFRIMA awards are expected to continue this legacy, promoting African music, culture and creative talent globally.
Key points
- The 10th AFRIMA awards will take place in Lagos, Nigeria from May 18-23, 2027.
- The Call for Entries will open worldwide on October 11, 2026.
- The #Road2AFRIMA10Xperience programme will cover several cities worldwide.
