Nigeria takes centre stage as Rema, Burna Boy shine at 9th AFRIMA awards

Nigerian artistes delivered a dominant performance at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), held on Sunday night in Lagos, sweeping major categories and reaffirming the country’s status as a powerhouse in African music.

The night belonged largely to Rema, who emerged as the biggest winner after clinching three prestigious awards — Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, and Best African Artiste in RnB and Soul. His multiple wins crowned a year of global success and strong continental influence.

Burna Boy also made a powerful statement, winning Album of the Year for No Sign of Weakness. He further shared the Best African Collaboration award with rising star Shallipopi for their hit track Laho.

Shallipopi capped the night with another major honour, taking home Song of the Year for the same song, underscoring his growing impact on the African music scene.

Yemi Alade added to Nigeria’s tally with her win in the Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series or Documentary category for You Are, featured in the animated series Iyanu.

The award highlighted the expanding crossover between African music and film.

In other notable Nigerian victories, Phyno was named Best African Artiste in African Hip-Hop, reinforcing his long-standing influence in the genre, while Qing Madi emerged as Most Promising Artiste of the Year, signalling a bright future for the young singer.

Chella claimed the African Fans’ Favourite award, reflecting strong grassroots support across the continent.

While Nigeria dominated the spotlight, artistes from other African regions also recorded significant wins. Tanzania’s Juma Jux was named Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa, while Denise of Madagascar won Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa.

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In Southern Africa, Yo Maps of Zambia and Nontokozo Mkhize of South Africa claimed the male and female regional honours respectively.

Egypt’s Sherine won Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa, while Mauritania’s Adviser took Best Male Artiste in the region. In Central Africa, Singuila of Congo emerged as Best Male Artiste, with Cindy Le Coeur of the Democratic Republic of Congo winning the female category.

Other standout winners included Axel Merryl (Benin) for Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Contemporary, Haddinqo (Ethiopia) for Best African Jazz Artiste, and Milo (Côte d’Ivoire) and Morijah (Côte d’Ivoire) in the male and female African Inspirational Music categories respectively.

The awards ceremony also recognised excellence across technical and creative categories. DJ Moh Green (Algeria) won Best African DJ, while Element Eleéh and Mugisha Fred Robinson (Rwanda) were named Producers of the Year.

Senegal’s Bakhaw Dioum received Songwriter of the Year for Choix, and Mbosso of Tanzania won Best African Video of the Year for Ova.

In genre-specific awards, Takana Zion of Guinea claimed Best African Act in Reggae, Ragga & Dancehall, Weeha of Ethiopia won Best African Dance/Choreography, and Team Paiya from Côte d’Ivoire took home Best African Duo or Group.

With wins spread across headline categories, genres and fan-driven awards, Nigeria emerged as the most celebrated country of the night.

Music analysts described the outcome as a reflection of Nigeria’s strong export of sound, culture and talent across Africa and beyond.

As AFRIMA continues to serve as a platform for showcasing Africa’s rich musical diversity, the Lagos ceremony reinforced the continent’s creative depth—while firmly placing Nigerian artistes at the heart of Africa’s evolving global sound.