Davido, Burna Boy, Moliy, Others Lead AFRIMA 2025 Nominees

The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) has announced its 2025 nominees, spotlighting African heavyweights Davido, Burna Boy, El Grande Toto, and Fally Ipupa, alongside stars such as Shallipopi, Ayra Starr, and Moliy.

Organisers confirmed that this year’s edition drew 10,717 submissions—the highest since the awards began in 2013. Following a 10-day review process, a 13-member international jury trimmed the entries to 343 nominees across 40 categories, representing Africa’s regions and the diaspora.

Nigeria’s Burna Boy and Davido secured five nominations each, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. They are joined at the top by South Africa’s DJ Maphorisa and Morocco’s El Grande Toto, who also earned five nods. Street-pop sensation Shallipopi follows closely with four nominations, including Artiste of the Year.

The competition is equally intense across the continent. Senegal’s Mia Guissé and Ghana’s Moliy each landed five nominations, while Egypt’s Amr Diab, Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz, Tyla, and Uncle Waffles all scored four. Global crossover stars Rema and Ayra Starr also appear on the shortlist with three or two nominations.

Diaspora artists, including Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, Darkoo, Faouzia, Gazo, and WizTheMC, are also in contention, underscoring AFRIMA’s global reach.

Delani Makhalima, a jury member, said, “In just 12 years, we’ve gone from being marginalised to becoming a global force. This is AFRIMA, the biggest music entity on the continent.”

Public voting will run from September 10 to November 30 on AFRIMA’s official website. The awards ceremony, hosted in partnership with the African Union, the Nigerian government, and Lagos State, will be a weeklong celebration from November 25 to 30. Events include a Welcome Soiree, AFRIMA Music Village, the Africa Music Business Summit, and the Nominees Party, before the main show is broadcast live to 84 countries.

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