The African Union, in collaboration with the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), has confirmed that Lagos, Nigeria, will host the 2025 edition of the continent’s premier music awards. The announcement, made on Tuesday at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, signals Lagos’ return as the stage for one of Africa’s most significant cultural celebrations.
The decision was jointly revealed by Angela Martins, Director for Social Development, Culture and Sport at the AUC, and Jannet Hadadi, a leading figure in African music distribution. Speaking at the event, Martins praised Lagos’ proven capacity to host high-profile international gatherings.
“Lagos truly embodies the spirit of African music – full of rhythm, creativity, and vibrant energy,” Martins said. “We are confident it will once again rise to the occasion with the world-class standards AFRIMA has come to represent.”
The theme for this year’s edition, Unstoppable Africa, was also unveiled, reflecting the continent’s dynamic music scene and growing global influence.
Running from 25 to 30 November 2025, AFRIMA 2025 is expected to attract more than 60,000 visitors, including 1,600 nominees and their teams, alongside over 2,300 production crew. The event’s climax – the main awards ceremony – will be broadcast live to a global audience estimated at over 400 million.
In a show of growing pan-African ambition, the AUC also released a comprehensive calendar of events. Highlights include the #RoadToAFRIMA2025 Tour, set to crisscross Morocco, Tanzania, Paris, Côte d’Ivoire, and London before returning to Nigeria’s Delta State and concluding in Namibia between 31 October and 1 November.
Meanwhile, artists, producers, and other professionals are encouraged to submit entries between 27 May and 8 August via the official AFRIMA portal, www.afrima.org. Judging will take place from 12 to 19 August, with the final list of nominees to be revealed during a World Media Conference on 27 August. Public voting will begin on 5 September and run until 28 November.
Alongside the awards, the 2025 edition will feature a packed programme of industry-focused events. These include the Africa Music Business Summit, the Music Icons’ Night, and the Diamond Showcase. Discussions at the recent music conference in Addis Ababa – which preceded the announcement – centred on topics such as monetisation, intellectual property, AI, and cross-border collaboration in the industry.
Lagos, a city synonymous with Afrobeat and home to a burgeoning creative economy, last hosted AFRIMA in 2021. With state-of-the-art venues, a thriving nightlife, and robust transport and security systems, it is widely seen as a fitting host for the pan-African celebration.
The awards ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, 30 November, will serve as the crowning moment of a week dedicated to celebrating African talent, creativity, and global musical influence.
