AFRIMA 2025 Smashes Records With Over 10,700 African Creatives vying for the Spotlight

The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) has hit a new milestone for its 2025 edition, receiving an unprecedented 10,717 entries, marking an inspiring 18% increase from last year’s 9,076 entries. This remarkable surge underscores AFRIMA’s growing reputation as the continent’s most prestigious and inclusive platform for celebrating African musical and creative excellence.

The submission window ran from May 27 to August 8, 2025 and entries spanned a wide array of contributors from artists to songwriters, music producers, video directors, DJs, dancers, choreographers, record labels, and even unrecorded talents.

A 13-member international jury began carefully evaluating all entries in Lagos starting August 8, with the adjudication set to conclude on August 17. Their work will determine the nominees, to be revealed on August 24. Public voting opens on September 5, extending through November 28, ahead of the star-studded Awards Night set for November 30.

Regional Landscape: Who’s Leading the Charge?

• • • West Africa led submissions with 5,215 entries (48.7%),

    • Southern Africa followed with 2,080 entries (19.4%),

    • Eastern Africa contributed 804 entries (7.5%),

    • Central Africa and North Africa submitted 291 (2.7%) and 267 (2.5%), respectively,

    • The diaspora accounted for 75 entries (0.7%)

AFRIMA 2025, themed “Unstoppable Africa”, positions Lagos once again at the heart of Africa’s cultural resurgence. This year’s edition not only celebrates artistic excellence but also highlights music as a powerful conduit of unity, identity, and global influence. The historic vote surge sends a clear message: African music is unstoppable, and the world is tuned in.

The festivities promise a packed agenda, including:

• Diamond Showcase (Nov 25–27)

• Opening Soirée (Nov 26)

• Africa Music Business Summit (Nov 27–28)

• Music Village/Festival & Host City Tour (Nov 28)

• Nominees & Industry Party (Nov 28)

• Main Awards Ceremony (Nov 30).

Hosted in Lagos for the seventh time, the event is poised to bring together more than 1,600 nominees, their teams, over 2,300 production crew members, and 60,000+ delegates and visitors, broadcast live to audiences in 84 countries

Looking forward, the artists who emerge as nominees will be part of a celebration set to galvanize the creative industry but for now, the spotlight is on the sheer scale of participation. That in itself is a victory.