AFRIMA puts Lagos at heart of Africa’s music scene — Terh Agbedeh

The return of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) to Lagos, Nigeria, has always been about more than dates on a calendar. Initially slated for November 2025, the continent’s biggest music celebration will now take place from January 7 to 11, 2026. Yet the significance of AFRIMA’s homecoming remains undiminished. If anything, the shift underscores the scale and long-term cultural vision behind the awards.

The forthcoming event, themed “Unstoppable Africa,” is a strategic milestone in the awards’ history, reflecting its growth from a continental idea to an international cultural phenomenon.

AFRIMA’s journey to this moment reflects more than a decade-long effort to consolidate and celebrate Africa’s growing dominance in global music. From its inception, the awards were conceived not merely as a ceremony, but as a platform for continental unity and creative empowerment. As AFRIMA President, Mike Dada, has repeatedly emphasised, “AFRIMA is not just a music platform, it is a movement.”

Launched in collaboration with the African Union (AU), AFRIMA was designed to recognise musical excellence while projecting African cultural heritage to the world. The inaugural ceremony in 2014 set a benchmark for production quality and ambition, positioning Nigeria, Africa’s creative powerhouse, as a natural anchor for the awards in its early years. From the outset, music was framed not just as entertainment, but as an economic and diplomatic tool.

For much of its history, AFRIMA operated between Nigeria and Ghana, establishing deep roots in West Africa. A decisive pivot came with the 8th edition, the “Teranga Edition,” hosted in Dakar, Senegal, in 2023. That Francophone outing marked a symbolic and practical expansion of AFRIMA’s pan-African mandate, proving its capacity to deliver a world-class event anywhere on the continent. The Dakar experience reinforced Dada’s belief that African culture must be positioned with intent and confidence on the global stage. As he once put it, “There is an ongoing global cultural battle… What identity or perception are we creating or repositioning for the continent?”

Nigeria’s selection as host for the 2025 edition, now culminating in Lagos in January 2026, was therefore both strategic and symbolic. The decision was bolstered by the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu and the establishment of a Federal Government Local Organising Committee (LOC), working alongside the Lagos State Government and AFRIMA’s international team. This level of state backing reflects a growing recognition of culture as an economic engine. In Dada’s words, “Some see culture at the basic level… rather than see it as an economic powerhouse that can reduce poverty on the continent.”

Artistry, however, remains the beating heart of AFRIMA. The unveiling of the 2025 nominations list reignited continental excitement, with Nigerian heavyweights Burna Boy and Davido leading the pack, alongside South Africa’s DJ Maphorisa and Morocco’s El Grande Toto. The robust public voting process once again transformed the awards into a truly pan-African conversation, driven by fans across borders. For Dada, this visibility is core to AFRIMA’s mission: “Through AFRIMA, we continue to promote African music to the world, support young creatives and strengthen partnerships between countries.”

As Lagos prepares to host the rescheduled January 7 – 11 programme, attention is shifting firmly to the host city’s readiness and opportunity. Beyond the awards night itself, AFRIMA Week will feature conferences, industry showcases and concerts, reinforcing the city’s status as Africa’s entertainment capital. Dada has consistently framed music as soft power, noting that “Music is a viable platform to communicate Africa’s values and strength to the world.”

The economic implications for Lagos are substantial. AFRIMA, in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), operates as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, drawing artistes, policymakers and media professionals from over 80 countries. This concentration of global attention enhances Lagos’s image as a city capable of managing major international events, while stimulating interest in its creative and tourism sectors.

The immediate economic impact is equally tangible. The influx of nominees, production crews and delegates generates heightened demand across hospitality, transportation and allied services. Hotels, restaurants and local logistics providers benefit from concentrated international spending, while hundreds of temporary jobs are created in event production, security and technical services.

Beyond the numbers, AFRIMA fosters long-term value through its Music Summit and networking platforms, enabling deal-making, publishing agreements and cross-border collaborations that strengthen Africa’s music ecosystem.

Speaking recently at the 3rd Moroccan Forum of Cultural and Creative Industries in Rabat, Dada captured this broader ambition succinctly: “Africa’s creative industry is not just growing; it is becoming a powerful economic force. What we need now is stronger cooperation across the continent, better policies and sustainable investment.”

AFRIMA, he noted, exists to help drive that cooperation and shared vision.

Ultimately, AFRIMA’s postponed-but-anticipated return to Lagos represents more than a rescheduled festival. It is a statement of intent about Africa’s confidence in its cultural capital, Lagos’s place as a global music city and the power of creativity as infrastructure for economic growth and continental identity.

As AFRIMA approaches, the message is clear: African music is not waiting to be discovered; it is asserting its place in the world.