Rema, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade Shine at AFRIMA 2026
Kehinde Adeleye
Nigerian musicians dominated the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) held in Lagos on Sunday, claiming top honours across multiple categories.
Leading the celebrations was Rema, who bagged three major awards: Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, and Best African Artiste in RnB and Soul.
Burna Boy also shone brightly, winning Album of the Year for No Sign of Weakness and sharing Best African Collaboration with Shallipopi, who also won Song of the Year for Laho.
Yemi Alade received Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series, or Documentary for her song You Are, featured in the animated series Iyanu.
In the hip-hop category, Phyno was awarded Best African Artiste in African Hip-Hop, while Juma Jux from Tanzania won Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa.
Emerging artists also had their moment, with Qing Madi crowned Most Promising Artiste of the Year, and Chella named African Fans’ Favourite.
Other notable winners included:
• Best Female Artiste – Western Africa: Wendy Shay (Ghana)
• Best Male Artiste – Northern Africa: Adviser (Mauritania)
• Best Female Artiste – Northern Africa: Sherine (Egypt)
• Best Male Artiste – Southern Africa: Yo Maps (Zambia)
• Best Female Artiste – Southern Africa: Nontokozo Mkhize (South Africa)
• Best African DJ: DJ Moh Green (Algeria)
• Best African Collaboration: Shallipopi ft. Burna Boy – Laho (Nigeria)
The awards highlighted the depth and diversity of African music, celebrating artists across genres including Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, RnB, Soul, Jazz, Inspirational, Dancehall, and Contemporary African music.
Nigeria’s dominance at AFRIMA reflects its growing influence on the continent’s music scene, as both established and emerging artists continue to make waves internationally.
