The official nominees for the 2025 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) have been announced, setting the stage for one of the most highly anticipated and competitive editions in recent history.

This year’s lineup features a blend of continental heavyweights and rising stars, with Davido, Burna Boy, Fally Ipupa, El Grande Toto, DJ Maphorisa, and Amr Diab going head-to-head against fast-rising talents such as Shallipopi, Himra, Moliy, Ayra Starr, Juma Jux, and Senegal’s Mia Guissé.

The nominations, unveiled in a statement released on Wednesday by AFRIMA in collaboration with the African Union Commission, were drawn from a record-breaking 10,717 entries — the highest in the award’s 12-year history.

After a 10-day evaluation process, a 13-member jury shortlisted 343 nominees across 40 categories, representing African artists and talents from the diaspora.

Nigeria’s Burna Boy and Davido lead the country’s representation with five nominations each. Both are vying for Album of the Year, with Burna Boy’s No Sign of Weakness and Davido’s 5ive making the list. Their chart-topping singles also landed spots in Song of the Year and Best Collaboration categories.

Street-pop sensation Shallipopi earned four nominations, including Artiste of the Year and Song of the Year for his hit collaboration Laho. Ayra Starr secured two nominations and is also in the running for Artiste of the Year alongside Davido, Burna Boy, and Morocco’s El Grande Toto.

Other major contenders include DJ Maphorisa, El Grande Toto, Mia Guissé, and Ghana’s Moliy, who each secured five nominations. Meanwhile, Diamond Platnumz, Tyla, and Uncle Waffles all received four nods.

The African diaspora is also strongly represented, with Aya Nakamura, Darkoo, and Deborah Lukalu leading the female nominees, while DJ Snake, Tayc, and Niska feature in the male category.

AFRIMA jury member Delani Makhalima hailed the nominations list as a reflection of Africa’s growing cultural power.
“For years our voices were not heard, but today African music is global. This is AFRIMA, the biggest music entity on the continent,” he said.

The 2025 edition of AFRIMA is scheduled to take place in Lagos from November 25 to 30, featuring a week-long series of events including the AFRIMA Music Village, the Africa Music Business Summit, the Nominees Party, and the grand finale on November 30, which will be broadcast live to audiences in more than 84 countries.

Toke Makinwa Announces Birth of Baby Girl

Congratulations are pouring in for popular media personality and TV host, Toke Makinwa, who has officially become a mother for the first time.

Barely two weeks after she revealed her pregnancy to fans in an August 13 Instagram post, the 40-year-old announced the birth of her baby girl in an emotional update shared on Thursday.