The 9th edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) recently held its grand ceremony on Sunday at the Eko Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. This prestigious event successfully brought together top artistes, producers, and industry stakeholders from across Africa and the diaspora to celebrate the continent's vibrant music scene. Established in 2014, AFRIMA is dedicated to honouring African artistes and music produced in every region over the past year, recognizing their commercial success, cultural impact, and growing global recognition.

Nigerian music stars Divine 'Rema' Ikubor, Crown 'Shallipopi' Uzama, and Damini 'Burna Boy' Ogulu emerged as the biggest winners of the night. Rema continued his impressive run by securing three award wins, the most by any artiste at the ceremony, confirming the widespread crossover appeal of his songs beyond Nigeria's borders. He won 'Best African Artiste, Duo or Group in African RnB & Soul' for his hit song 'Baby (Is It A Crime),' ahead of strong contenders like South Africa's Big Zulu, Morocco's Manal, and Nigeria's Kunmie. Rema also claimed the 'Best Male Artiste in Western Africa' award, triumphing over Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Asake, and Ghana's Black Sherif. His reign on the night was further cemented with a win in one of AFRIMA's most coveted categories: 'Artiste of the Year.'

Closely following Rema in the awards tally was Shallipopi, who bagged two awards from his four nominations. The Plutomania Records artiste won 'Best African Collaboration' for 'Laho II,' which featured Burna Boy, and also secured 'Song of the Year' for his hit single 'Laho.'

Burna Boy also recorded significant success, winning the 'Album of the Year' category for his 2025 album, 'No Sign of Weakness.' He surpassed a competitive field including Davido ('5ive'), South Africa's Kelvin Momo ('Thato Ya Modimo'), Côte d'Ivoire's Didi B ('Diyilem & Bazarhoff: Genius'), and Morocco's El Grande Toto ('Salgoat').

Other notable winners at the event included Yemi Alade, who bagged 'Best Soundtrack in Movie, Series, or Documentary' for 'You Are' (Iyanu: The Animated Series), and Phyno, who won 'Best African Artiste, Duo or Group in African Hip-Hop.' Chella emerged as the winner of the 'African Fans' Favourite' category, beating BNXN, Rema, Kizz Daniel, and Faceless. Qing Madi and Valorant were recognized as 'Most Promising Artiste of the Year' for their hit single 'EGO.' Ethiopian artiste Weeha clinched 'Best African Dance/Choreography' for 'Dimama,' outperforming Wizkid.

AFRIMA organisers also honored entertainment legends Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their immense contributions to the industry. The grand ceremony commenced with an energetic rap session by the event's host, Falz, who later welcomed Phyno to join him in kicking off the night's entertainment. The awards night featured thrilling performances from artistes like Shallipopi, Gaise Baba, Phyno, Falz, Kunmie, Adewale Ayuba, Patoranking, and Qing Madi, who captivated the excited crowd. The 9th AFRIMA celebrated African music over five days, featuring events such as the Welcome Soiree on 7 January, the Africa Music Business Summit on 8 January, a Host City Tour and CSR Visit, the Music Village Concert on 9 January, the Nominees and Industry Party on 10 January, and the Red Carpet and Grand Awards Night on 11 January. Sunday's ceremony was broadcast live to more than 84 countries, showcasing African talent to a global audience.

The full list of regional and continental category winners includes:

REGIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS:

Best Male Artist in Central Africa: Singuila (The Congo)

Best Female Artiste in Central Africa: Cindy Le Coeur (DRC)

Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa: Juma Jux (Tanzania)

Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa: Denise (Madagascar)

Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa: Adviser (Mauritania)

Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa: Sherine (Egypt)

Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa: Yo Maps (Zambia)

Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa: Nontokozo Mkhize (South Africa)

Best Male Artiste in Western Africa: Rema (Nigeria)

Best Female Artiste in Western Africa: Wendy Shay (Ghana)

CONTINENTAL CATEGORY WINNERS:

Best Male Artiste in African Inspirational Music: Milo (Côte d'Ivoire)

Best Female Artiste in African Inspirational Music: Morijah (Côte d'Ivoire)

Best African Artiste, Duo or Group in African Jazz: Haddinqo (Ethiopia)

Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Contemporary: Axel Merryl (Benin)

Best Soundtrack in Movie, Series, or Documentary: Yemi Alade (Nigeria) for 'You Are' (Iyanu: The Animated Series)

Songwriter of the Year: (Winner not specified in input)

African Fans' Favourite: Chella (Nigeria)

Best African DJ: DJ Moh Green (Algeria)

Producer of the Year: (Winner not specified in input)