Senegal Is Hosting This Year's All African Awards

The 8th installment of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) is making its return in Senegal this year.

Senegal Is Hosting This Year's All African Awards
Photo by Christina Aldehuela via Getty Images

The eighth edition of the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) — tagged the Teranga Edition — will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from January 12th through the 15th, 2023.

In the past, Ghana and Nigeria have been the primary hosts for the event, but this is the first time a Francophone country will host the event. AFRIMA is an annual awards event that was established to highlight African talent, music, and creativity worldwide, while also sharing the African cultural heritage. In anticipation of the event, the President of the Republic of Senegal, His Excellency President Macky Sall, hosted AFRIMA's Executive President, Mr. Mike Dada, at his official residence. The Senegalese leader set up the meeting to assure Sall and his entire team at AFRIMA of the country's support of the event.

In a press release, Sall expressed that AFRIMA was about empowering African youth to aspire for the future.

"The present and future of Africa, particularly Senegal in this case, is very important to our government, and the youths represent that future. AFRIMA speaks to the empowerment and engagement of young people in the creative economy as well as the celebration of our continent and the global promotion of our cities for tourism benefits, hence the support and partnership from the Republic of Senegal... I am very happy and honored to host the Teranga edition of the biggest music award in Africa, AFRIMA, right here in Senegal. The people of Senegal are excited about this historical feat, given that this is the first time the awards will be held in a Francophone country."

Earlier this month, the AFRIMA team held a calendar event in Dakar to unveil the official host city of the award show. Prominent African delegates attended the conference, where they discussed the importance of the award show and the growing global impact of African music and sound. Early next year, the four-day will kick off with several pre-events on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Rehearsals, media engagements, and a nominees-only party will continue on Friday, January 13, 2023, and Saturday, January 14, 2023.

The main event will happen on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at the Dakar Arena, an event center with a 15000 capacity. In September, the organization announced a list of its leading nominees featuring some of Africa's prominent artists ahead of the event.

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