Lagos is set to host the biggest musical awards on the continent of Africa, The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA 2016).

Recently,the African Union Commission (AUC) announced Lagos State as the official Host City of the third edition of the awards.The All Africa

The announcement ceremony, which took place in Lagos recently, amidst pomp, was attended by officials of the African Union; members of the international committee of AFRIMA; AFRIMA 2015 winners; top government functionaries; stakeholders in the creative/ entertainment industry in Africa, media executives, and musical artistes.

Formally declaring Lagos as the official city to host AFRIMA 2016 edition, the Head of Culture, African Union Commission, Ms. Angela Martins posited that taking a decision on the Centre of Excellence was a herculean task because all the cities targeted were equal to the task in terms of infrastructure, tourism potential and richness of culture but Lagos State has an edge in key areas.

Prior to the prestigious occasion, AU had targeted four cities as potential hosts for the continental awards ceremony. These cities were: Calabar (Cross River State), Lagos (Lagos State), Port Harcourt (Rivers State) and Uyo (Akwa Ibom State).

According to Martins, the African Union was pushing forward its developmental agenda and policies through the AFRIMA platform. “Also, in choosing the host city, we considered factors such as the willingness to create value and deep brand equity not only for Nigerians but Africans. Also, there was the consideration of which state has the most motivation to host AFRIMA in line with its values; which has the strongest vision in tourism, culture and entertainment. Then, the state must have the most adequate facilities, surrounding infrastructure, security and tourist attraction to host the event and should have hosted successful events in the past that attracted both national and or global audiences as well as government’s responsiveness. It was discovered Lagos possesses all these factors and we arrived at our decision.”

Explaining why Lagos would support AFRIMA, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said African Union’s vision aligns with Lagos State’s. He said, “The reason why Lagos State is partnering with AFRIMA should not be far-fetched. More importantly, the vision of AFRIMA is a veritable platform to celebrate the best of talents in African music industry which aligns with the vision of the African Union to foster peace, unity and development through cultural expressions and creative enterprise.

“Moreover, these values are also in sync with the Lagos State vision of being an undeniable entertainment capital of Africa, as well as being the hub of creative expressions in the continent. The aim is to open up the state for performing arts to blossom and we are ready to partner with credible organizations to ensure that Lagos remains the destination of choice for arts and entertainment, for artistes and for those who make the business of arts to thrive.”

The third edition of All Africa Music Awards will hold on November 4-6 in Lagos, Nigeria.