Following the recent unveiling of calendar of activities for the 2018 edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Accra, Ghana, which included a courtesy visit to the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by officials of African Union, International Committee of AFRIMA and African music stars, entry submissions for the annual continental music awards opens today, Friday, May 25 in commemoration of Africa Day.

From May 25 to August 1, 2018, the 5th edition of AFRIMA will be receiving on its online portal www.afrima.org, works, songs and videos recorded or produced by African music professionals and publicly released within the eligibility period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018. These entries will compete for possible nomination by the AFRIMA Jury in one or more of the 36 categories of the awards.

The AFRIMA Jury, consisting of 13 members, with vast experience and practice in African music and culture is charged with overseeing the AFRIMA Adjudication process to ensure a thorough and fair screening, categorizing, assessing and selecting process of AFRIMA 2018 nominees. Nominees are expected to emerge to populate the Regional and Continental awarding categories of AFRIMA in different genres of music ranging from African contemporary to electro, traditional, reggae/ragga/dancehall, hip-hop, R n B, rap and rock.

Furthermore, AFRIMA uses the onset of the 2018 entry submissions to commemorate the 55th edition of Africa Day, a day set aside annually by the

African Union Commission to strengthen the idea of unity among African countries. One of the objectives of AFRIMA is to celebrate Africans who channel their energies towards various acts of dynamism in the creative industry and contribute tremendously to the growth of the social environment.

Music and arts have been one of the core proponents where Africans have successfully shown immense passion. From the days of traditional folklore to the present day transition of music into the modern studio recorded album, Africa has produced world record holders in the music industry, where music is not only used to promote cultural heritage, but also for education and entertainment.

Music artistes, managers, producers, record label owners, recording companies, video directors, publicists and entertainment/music journalist are eligible to submit their works or submit on behalf of their clients in any of the relevant award categories. Further details on entry submission guidelines are available on the AFRIMA website - www.afrima.org.

In partnership with the African Union, the All Africa Music Awards is a music property that recognises and rewards the work and talent of a myriad of African artists from the old to the new generation of musicians. Through its conference, AFRIMA also stimulates conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the world about the potential of the creative arts for real humanising enterprise on the continent, contributing significantly to social cohesion, national, regional and continental integration as well as sustainable development in Africa. Annually, the award show is broadcast to over eighty countries around the world.