According to the organisers, this is the highest number of entries received since the inception of the awards in 2014. The figure, which was garnered from entertainers across all five African regions, as well as Europe and
North America, represented a 2.2 per cent increase from the 8,880 entries recorded in 2021.
“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,” AFRIMA juror in North America,
Hadja Kobele, said.
From the array of entries, East Africa leads the trail with 2,890 entries, representing 31.8 percent; and West Africa follows closely with 2,863 entries, representing 31.5 percent. South Africa joins the race with 1,659 entries, representing 18.2 percent, while Central Africa comes fourth with 941 entries, representing 10.3 percent, complementing the 373 entries from
North Africa, which represent 3.8 percent. The remaining 349 entries from the Diaspora represent 4.1 percent of all total submissions.
In line with the AFRIMA 2022 calendar, a 13-member jury arrived Lagos on Thursday, August 11 for an 8-day adjudication process that would select the nominees across all categories. The jury is composed of music experts from all five regions on the continent as well as the diaspora, specifically North America and Europe.
On Monday, August 22, the nominees will be publicly unveiled. A week later on Monday August 29, the AFRIMA Voters Academy as well as music fans 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 will 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.
