Nigerian artistes emerged as the biggest winners at the ninth edition of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, which wrapped up in Lagos on Sunday night, reaffirming the country’s dominance on the continent’s music scene.
Global music star Burna Boy won the Album of the Year award for his latest project, No Sign of Weakness, and also shared the Best African Collaboration prize with fellow Nigerian act Shallipopi.
Shallipopi further boosted Nigeria’s medal haul by clinching the Song of the Year award for his viral hit Laho, which gained massive traction across social media platforms.
The night’s biggest winner was Rema, who secured three major awards, including Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste in Western Africa and Best African Artiste in RnB and Soul.
Other Nigerian winners included Yemi Alade, who won Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series or Documentary for her song You Are from the animated series Iyanu, while veteran rapper Phyno was named Best African Artiste in African Hip-Hop.
Emerging acts also shone, with Qing Madi emerging as Most Promising Artiste of the Year, while Chella was voted African Fans’ Favourite.
Although Nigerian stars dominated the ceremony, artistes from other African countries were also recognised, with Senegal’s Bakhaw Dioum winning Songwriter of the Year and Algeria’s DJ Moh Green clinching the DJ of the Year award.
The strong showing by Nigerian artistes further highlights the growing global influence of Afrobeats, a genre that blends African rhythms with global sounds and continues to gain international acclaim, led by stars such as Burna Boy and Rema.
