Lagos State will host the 10th edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) from May 18 to 23, 2027, with the grand awards ceremony scheduled for May 23.
The African Union (AU) and the AFRIMA International Executive Committee announced the dates during the 10th AFRIMA Creative Industry Roundtable and Global Calendar Unveiling held in Los Angeles, United States.
AFRIMA President and Executive Producer, Mike Dada, also announced that entries for the 2027 awards will open worldwide on October 11, 2026, and close on January 10, 2027.
He said entries would be collated and pre-screened between January 11 and 14, followed by adjudication from January 15 to 22.
According to Dada, the nominees will be announced globally on January 29, while public voting is expected to run from February 21 to May 21, 2027.
He said eligible creative works must have been produced and released between August 10, 2025 and January 10, 2027.
Ahead of the main awards ceremony, AFRIMA will organise a series of activities in Lagos, including the AFRIMA 10X Conference, Media Parley and Industry Night scheduled for April 14.
University activations and concerts are also planned between February and April, while the main programme will begin with the AFRIMA Diamond Showcase on May 18.
Dada said the 10th edition would mark a decade of celebrating African musical talent while creating more opportunities within the continent’s creative economy.
“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,” he said.
He added that Africa needed to move beyond exporting its culture and capture more of the economic value generated by its creative industries.
Chief Operating Officer of Africa Channel, Narendra Reddy, also called for stronger commercial opportunities for African creatives, stressing the need for creators to receive fair value from their work.
“Creators must make real money from their work, not be used and discarded after their content generates value,” Reddy said.
He further called for greater collaboration among African countries and stronger partnerships with international markets to expand opportunities for African music and the wider creative industry.
Award-winning artiste and producer, Septimius The Great, who delivered the welcome remarks at the event, said stronger connections between African and American artistes could help expand the global audience for African music and culture.
“The connection between African artistes and American artistes is more important than ever,” he said.
The Los Angeles event attracted personalities from the African and American creative industries, including comedian Darryl Vega, actors Razz Adeoti, Bayo Akinfemi and Ozie Nzeribe, digital creator Laurence Brahm, artiste Seyi Brown, producer Septimum, DJ Sly King and choreographer Kaffy, who hosted the event.
The Los Angeles unveiling followed earlier #RoadTo10thAFRIMA engagements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco.
The 10th AFRIMA edition is expected to bring together artistes, music executives, industry stakeholders and other creative professionals in Lagos for a week of awards, conferences, showcases and industry engagements.
