Asake, Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido were among Nigerian artists that dominated the winners’ list at the eighth All Africa Music Awards (Afrima).
The song, Tala, by Ivorian artist Didi B, was named song of the year at the lavish ceremony held in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.
This year big names including Ghanaian rapper Black Sheriff and Nigerian duo P-Square performed.
Nigerian singer Asake was named Breakout Artist of the Year.
He said during his acceptance speech that winning was a dream come true: “It started as a dream, but today, it’s a reality. Thanks to God- My label, and to all my fans listening to my songs.”
Asake’s music dominated the Afrobeats music scene in 2022 with hit songs such as Sungba, Peace Be Unto You and Omo Ope, amongst others.
Burna Boy won Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, Davido, who took Best Male Artist in Inspirational African Music while Wizkid won Best West African Act. The three did not appear to be present at the ceremony to accept their awards.
There had been some controversy in the run-up to the awards, after people signed a petition for Nigerian singer Brymo to not win Songwriter of the Year, after he made a series of insulting tweets about Nigeria’s Igbo ethnic group.
More than 40,000 people signed the petition against the singer, whose real name is Olawale Ashimi. In the end Iba One from Mali won, and Brymo has since apologised, saying he did not mean to offend.
Senegal made history this year by becoming the first French-speaking African country to host the awards, which have a partnership with the African Union.