After a two year hiatus, organisers of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, have returned with more determination to reward and unite African countries through music.
In a recent chat with Mike Dada, the Executive producer and president of AFRIMA, he explained the challenges that necessitated the two year hiatus as well as plans ahead of a more robust and intentional edition scheduled for November 2025.
“If you notice, AFRIMA had not been held in two years after the last edition in Dakar, Senegal. This is because we had to stop, unlearn, relearn and project ahead for a formidable and authentic prestigious pan-African initiative.”
According to Dada, AFRIMA is not just an award ceremony but a pot-pourri of well defined and cultural activities that aims at unifying African countries and celebrating African music on a global outlook.
The trained legal practitioner was also quick to remind guests and fans alike that though AFRIMA kicked off in Nigeria in 2014, it is not a Nigerian event. Dada stressed that AFRIMA is a continental event which stands tall as a fusion of festival, award, business, academy, CSR, advisory, and policy debate. To further drive home his point, Dada said the AFRIMA initiative is in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC).
To achieve this aim, AFRIMA had put together, in the early days of the initiative, an international committee that consists of five regions: SADEC, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, Northern, Southern Africa and Western Africa, which are run by regional directors and 54 country directors.
“The mission is clear from the beginning. It is to honour, celebrate, and promote musical excellence and creativity across Africa while preserving and showcasing the continent’s rich cultural heritage. Through the awards, festivals, and talent development initiatives, AFRIMA drives the expansion of Africa’s creative economy, positioning it as a dynamic engine for economic growth, social inclusion, and cultural unity across the continent,” Dada explained.
AFRIMA has been held in several African cities and countries including Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; and Dakar, Senegal.
With past winners of the awards determined by music professionals across the African continent and monitored by an independent auditing firm, PwC, Dada revealed some of the challenges with countries and artists.
“We pride ourselves in the integrity we have built over the years. No one knows who the eventual winners are. I don’t even know until when they are announced. The independent auditing firm gives the final winners list to the producer on the day of the event and they also monitor to ensure the winners are rewarded accordingly. We have had situations where artists, artists managers and sometimes government officials want to influence who wins what but we refuse and stand our ground because AFRIMA’s integrity is non-negotiable,” Dada explained.
For the 2025 edition, which has been dubbed, ‘Unstoppable Africa,’ plans are in top gear for the initiative to run between November 25, 2025 and November 30, 2025.
The week-long festival with an immense socio-economic impact will feature a music awards ceremony, a music festival, a music business hub, The AFRIMA Kreative Academy (TAKA), talent discovery and promotion, a foundation, CSR and CSA, and an Advisory and policy debates.
Dada and his team confirmed that the 2025 edition will be broadcast live to 84 countries on 109 Television stations across the world. He also confirmed that the award nominations have over 1,600 nominees and teams, a 1,100-strong production crew, and an expected 400 million global broadcast audience.