AFRIMA receives record-breaking 9,076 entries for 2022 awards

The organisers of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) have announced a total of 9,076 entries received for possible nominations at the awards ceremony. 

The figure — which is the highest number of entries received by the awards body since its inception in 2014 — was revealed in a statement on Monday.

AFRIMA’s international committee, in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), said the figure, which was garnered from entertainers across all five African regions, as well as Europe and North America, represented a 2.2 percent increase from the 8,880 entries recorded in the 2021 edition.

The entry submissions began on May 30 and closed on August 5.

“This development is a clear indicator that AFRIMA is the pinnacle of African music globally, and Africans value the importance of celebrating themselves, as culture remains one of our strongest tools for global unification, as well as economic growth,” said Hadja Kobele, AFRIMA juror representing the diaspora, North America.

Leading the entry is the Eastern African region with 2,890, representing 31.8 percent; while the West African region followed closely with 2,863 entries, representing 31.5 percent.

Southern African region joined in the race with 1,659 entries, representing 18.2 percent; while Central Africa came fourth with 941 entries, representing 10.3 percent.

“Complementing the 373 entries from Northern African entertainers who represented 3.8 percent, while the remaining 349 entries from the diaspora represented 4.1 percent of all total submissions,” the statement reads.

“In line with the AFRIMA 2022 calendar, a 13-member jury is expected to arrive Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday August 11, for an 8-day adjudication process that would select the nominees across all existing categories.

“The jury is composed of seasoned experts across all five regions in the African music industry, as well as the diaspora, specifically North America and Europe.”

The nominees will be announced on August 22, while “a week after, on Monday, August 29, 2022, the AFRIMA Voters Academy, as well as music fans and followers around the globe will begin to participate in the public voting process, which will be held on the AFRIMA website www.afrima.org. Nominees with the highest votes would emerge winners in their respective categories.

“The voting process, which closes 24 hours before the awards ceremony, would be monitored and audited by a reputable international auditing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“The AFRIMA awards ceremony will feature a 4-day fiesta of music, glitz, and glamour. The event is scheduled to commence with the welcome soiree, followed by the AFRIMA Music Village, the host city tour, African Music Business Summit, and the exclusive nominees’ party and concluded with the live awards ceremony broadcast to over 84 countries around the world.”