The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) has unveiled its 2025 nominees, featuring a showdown between Africa’s biggest music exports—Davido, Burna Boy, El Grande Toto, Rema, and Fally Ipupa—and fast-rising stars such as Shallipopi, Himra, Moliy, Ayra Starr, Jux, and Mia Guissé.
This year’s edition of AFRIMA reached new heights with a record-breaking 10,717 entries, a testament to the growing power of African music. Following a rigorous 10-day adjudication process, a 13-member international jury unveiled a shortlist of 343 nominees across 40 categories, representing the rich diversity of Africa’s five regions and the diaspora.
Public voting for the esteemed AFRIMA awards will kick off globally on September 10, 2025, via AFRIMA’s official website, and will conclude on November 30, the eve of the main awards ceremony. This year, Nigeria’s Burna Boy and Davido are leading the pack with five impressive nominations each, including Album of the Year for No Sign of Weakness and 5ive respectively, as well as Song of the Year and Best Collaboration. South Africa’s DJ Maphorisa and Morocco’s El Grande Toto have also secured five nominations each, while Nigeria’s street-pop sensation Shallipopi earned four notable nods, including Artiste of the Year. Other prominent contenders include Senegal’s Mia Guissé and Ghana’s Moliy with five nominations each, Egypt’s Amr Diab with four, and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz, Tyla, and Uncle Waffles, who all secured multiple nods. Rema received three nominations, while Ayra Starr will compete with Africa’s top stars in the Artiste of the Year category. The diaspora is well-represented with nominees such as Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, Darkoo, Faouzia, Gazo, and WizTheMC. AFRIMA jury member Delani Makhalima described the 2025 nominees list as proof of African music’s growing global influence, stating “In just 12 years, we’ve evolved from being marginalised to becoming a global force. This is AFRIMA, the biggest music entity on the continent, driving positive change through music.” Organised in partnership with the African Union Commission, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and Lagos State as host city, AFRIMA 2025 will take place from November 25 to 30, promising a weeklong celebration of African music excellence, featuring a Welcome Soiree, AFRIMA Music Village, the Africa Music Business Summit, Nominees Party, and culminating in the main awards ceremony on November 30, to be broadcast live across 84 countries.
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