The African Union (AU) and the International Executive Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) have announced the official calendar for the awards’ 10th edition, with the main celebrations scheduled for May 18–23, 2027, in Lagos, Nigeria.
The milestone edition will climax with the grand awards ceremony on May 23, following months of activities designed to connect African musicians and creatives with audiences, investors, policymakers and industry players around the world.
AFRIMA President and Executive Producer Mike Dada unveiled the programme during the 10th AFRIMA Creative Industry Roundtable and Global Calendar Unveiling held at Sofitel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
The competition will officially begin with the Call for Entries on October 11, 2026, running until January 10, 2027. Only creative works released between August 10, 2025 and January 10, 2027 will qualify for consideration.
After submissions close, AFRIMA will conduct collation and pre-screening from January 11–14, followed by adjudication between January 15–22. The nominees will be announced globally on January 29, while public voting will run from February 21 to May 21, 2027.
AFRIMA Takes Its 10th Edition Across Global Cities
Beyond the awards themselves, AFRIMA has unveiled a series of international activities under the banner #Road2AFRIMA10Xperience.
The programme will make stops in London, Windhoek, Cotonou, Nairobi, Accra, Paris, Warri and Port Harcourt, creating platforms for conversations, collaborations and business opportunities around African music and culture.
In Lagos, the AFRIMA 10X Conference, Media Parley and Industry Night are scheduled for April 14. University activations and concerts will also take place between February and April before the main week begins with the AFRIMA Diamond Showcase on May 18.
“The journey will culminate in Lagos with the 10th AFRIMA Main Events from May 18 to 23, 2027, and the grand awards ceremony on May 23,” Dada announced.
AFRIMA Eyes Bigger Creative Economy Impact
Dada said the 10th edition is intended to mark more than a decade of celebrating African music, with greater emphasis on converting the continent’s growing global cultural influence into economic opportunities.
“African artistes are filling arenas around the world. African sounds are influencing global culture. But visibility alone is not enough. We must turn visibility into opportunity, opportunity into investment, and investment into sustainable creative industries. Africa must not only export culture; Africa must capture the capital and build wealth from its culture,” he said.
He described the 10th edition calendar as a roadmap for engagement, collaboration, investment and cultural exchange, bringing together artists, creatives, investors, policymakers, media and other industry stakeholders.
The Los Angeles unveiling followed earlier #Road2AFRIMA10Xperience engagements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco.
The Beverly Hills event attracted personalities from Africa and the United States, including comedian Darryl Vega, actors Razz Adeoti, Bayo Akinfemi and Ozie Nzeribe, digital creator Laurence Brahm, artiste Seyi Brown, producer Septimius The Great, The Africa Channel COO Narendra Reddy and Ghanaian DJ Sly King.
Renowned choreographer, dance instructor and fitness coach Kaffy, who holds a Guinness World Record, also hosted the event.
Septimius The Great delivered the welcome remarks, highlighting the potential of stronger links between African and American music industries.
“The connection between African artistes and American artistes is more important than ever. We have the talent, the creativity and the stories, but when we build the bridge between Africa and America, we create opportunities that can take our music and our culture to an even bigger global audience,” he said.
Reddy similarly called for African creators to receive greater commercial value from their work, arguing that stronger partnerships between Africa and the global market could help expand opportunities for the continent’s creative sector.
AFRIMA was established in 2013 by its International Executive Committee in partnership with the African Union. The awards platform focuses on celebrating and promoting African music, culture and creative talent internationally, with its broadcast reaching audiences in more than 84 countries.
