The African Union (AU), in partnership with the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), has officially named Lagos, Nigeria, as the host city for the 2025 edition of the prestigious music awards.
The announcement was made at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Angela Martins, Head of Culture at the African Union. According to Martins, this year’s theme, “Unstoppable Africa,” celebrates the vibrancy and brilliance of modern African music—a movement that Lagos continues to embody and inspire.
“Music is not merely sound, it is a strategy,” Martins said. “From Dar es Salaam to Accra and beyond, music flows like a river through our culture. It connects, heals, and moves us forward.”
The AFRIMA 2025 celebration is scheduled to take place from November 25 to 30, with a week-long lineup of events including the renowned Music Village Festival and other cultural showcases. The event will kick off with a call for entries on May 20, inviting submissions from African artists across the continent and the diaspora. Musicians are encouraged to submit their works across diverse genres and categories as part of the awards’ mission to spotlight African musical excellence.
AFRIMA continues to serve as a powerful platform for cultural exchange and continental integration, values aligned with the AU’s Agenda 2063, which recognizes culture as a catalyst for development.
AFRIMA President, Mike Dada, reaffirmed this vision: “AFRIMA is more than an award ceremony; it’s a rallying point to unite the continent, promote peace, drive job creation, and tell our own stories through the power of music.”
As part of its buildup to the main event in Lagos, AFRIMA 2025 will feature satellite events in several African countries—including Morocco, Tanzania, and Côte d’Ivoire—as well as international stops in London and Paris.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State had earlier affirmed the state’s readiness to host the global event. Receiving a delegation from the African Union and the AFRIMA International Committee in April, Sanwo-Olu said the AFRIMA hosting rights align with his administration’s commitment to strengthening the creative and tourism sectors.
“One of the key pillars of our administration’s development agenda is the creative industry,” the governor said. “We’ve been deliberate about building a thriving creative ecosystem that supports music, film, fashion, photography, and cultural tourism. We are proud to host AFRIMA 2025 and thank the AU and AFRIMA Committee for trusting Lagos.”
With Lagos as the stage and the continent’s top talent in the spotlight, AFRIMA 2025 is poised to be a landmark celebration of Africa’s unstoppable rhythm and spirit.
