Every music scene on the continent has its big night, and some of them have produced as many arguments as trophies. African music awards range from national shows run by government arts councils to pan-African events backed by the African Union, and one famous show handed out a $1 million prize that never arrived.
Here are ten African music awards explained: who runs them, when they started and the stories that made them famous.
1. The Headies (Nigeria, since 2006)
Nigeria’s biggest music awards began on 10 March 2006 at the MUSON Centre in Lagos as the Hip Hop World Awards, set up by Ayo Animashaun’s Hip Hop World Magazine. The name changed, but the trophy kept its idea: a young head in mid-shout, meant to represent talent that “has almost lost confidence in his abilities in the face of discouraging circumstances”. Since 2008 the plaque has been plated in 21-carat gold.
The show has outgrown Lagos. The 16th edition was held in Atlanta in September 2023, and the 18th is set for Toronto in April 2027. Burna Boy once set the record for most nominations in one night, with ten. See the latest Headies nominees.
2. The Ghana Music Awards (Ghana, since 1999)
Charter House launched the Ghana Music Awards in 1999 at the National Theatre in Accra. Sponsors have changed the name over the years, from the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) to the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs) since 2024. The current trophy, unveiled in 2019, is a gold star with strings across a circular hole, designed to look like a guitar.
The top prize is Artiste of the Year. Daddy Lumba’s “Aben Wo Ha” won Song of the Year at the very first show in 2000. Here is every Artiste of the Year winner.
3. The South African Music Awards (South Africa, since 1995)
The SAMAs are run by the Recording Industry of South Africa and started in 1995, the year after the first democratic elections. Winners take home a gold-plated statuette, and the show has mostly been held at the Superbowl in Sun City and broadcast by the SABC.
With around 30 categories, the SAMAs cover everything from Afrikaans and maskandi to kwaito, jazz and gospel. Black Coffee is one of the many big names who have collected them.
4. AFRIMA, the All Africa Music Awards (since 2014)
AFRIMA was set up with the African Union, and its first show was held in 2014. Nigeria hosted the first three. Ghana won the right to host from 2018 to 2020, but in July 2019 the organisers withdrew it, saying the host country could not meet its financial obligations. The show returned in Lagos in 2021 after the pandemic break.
More in our AFRIMA explainer.
5. The MTV Africa Music Awards (2008 to 2016)
The MAMAs were created by MTV Africa’s Alex Okosi and first held at the Velodrome in Abuja on 22 November 2008. The show moved to Nairobi in 2009 and Lagos in 2010, took a three-year break, then returned in Durban in 2014 and 2015 and Johannesburg in 2016.
A 2021 edition planned for Kampala was postponed indefinitely, and the awards have been inactive since. For a few years, though, the MAMAs were a major continental stage.
6. The Kora Awards (pan-African, since 1994)
Named after the West African harp, the Kora Awards were founded in 1994 by Beninese businessman Ernest Adjovi after a conversation in Namibia with Hage Geingob, then the country’s prime minister. They became famous for the wrong reasons.
Editions were repeatedly postponed. At the 2010 awards in Burkina Faso, P-Square were named Artiste of the Year with a $1 million cash prize that never came. In 2011 Adjovi was detained by Nigerian police over fraud allegations. The Koras are now a warning about what happens when an awards show is run on promises.
7. The Kilimanjaro (Kili) Music Awards (Tanzania, since 1999)
Tanzania’s national music awards were set up in 1999 by the National Arts Council, BASATA, the same body that has banned songs for “obscene lyrics”. They are known as the Kili Music Awards after their beer sponsor.
The categories tell you what Tanzania listens to: bongo flava, taarab, hip-hop, reggae and dancehall, and separate prizes for singeli, the fast Dar es Salaam street sound. Read what singeli is.
8. The National Arts Merit Awards (Zimbabwe)
The NAMAs are run by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and cover music alongside film, books, dance, comedy and visual art. The music categories include outstanding male and female musician, song, album and video.
Dancehall star Winky D has won the People’s Choice Award every year from 2020 to 2025, even while a group linked to the ruling party called for his music to be banned.
9. The Groove Awards (Kenya, since 2004)
Gospel is huge in East Africa, and the Groove Awards are its biggest stage. Founded by Kevin Mulei, they started at a small gathering in Nairobi in 2004 and grew into a televised event sponsored by Safaricom, with nominees from Rwanda and the wider region.
More than 1,200 artists and groups have been nominated and around 270 Groove statuettes handed out. President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the eighth ceremony in 2013.
10. The Grammy for Best African Music Performance (since 2024)
It is not an African award, but it may be the one African artists want most. The Recording Academy added the category for the 2024 Grammys, and South Africa’s Tyla won the first one with “Water”. Tems won it in 2025.
Read the story of the new category and our list of African Grammy winners of the 2020s.
Which African music awards matter most?
For artists, the answer depends on where they want to be heard. A Headies or a Ghana Music Award still means the most at home, with fans, promoters and radio. AFRIMA and the old MAMAs offered a continental stage. And for many stars, a Grammy is the one that opens doors abroad. The best African music awards are the ones that still pay out what they promise, as the Kora story shows.
