Gaise Baba, Mercy Chinwo, Lawrence Oyor lose to Ivory Coast artistes at AFRIMA

Nigerian inspirational artistes, Akinade Ibuoye, known as Gaise Baba, and Lawrence Oyor have lost to Milo, a Côte d’Ivoire artiste, in the Best Male Artiste, Inspirational Music category. Gaise...

Published 11 Jan 2026

By Eniola Daniel

Nigerian inspirational artistes, Akinade Ibuoye, known as Gaise Baba, and Lawrence Oyor have lost to Milo, a Côte d’Ivoire artiste, in the Best Male Artiste, Inspirational Music category.

Gaise Baba’s No Turning Back and Lawrence Oyor’s Favour were nominated in the category.

Other nominees are Christian Mukuna (DRC), Djunny Beatz (Mozambique), Israel Mbonyi (Rwanda), Jah Prayzah (Zimbabwe), Joel Lwaga (Tanzania), Kocee (Cameroon/Côte d’Ivoire), and Sjava (South Africa).

Also, Nigerian duo Ada Ehi and Mercy Chinwo lost to Morijah of Côte d’Ivoire in the Best Female Artiste, Inspirational Music category.

Other nominees are Choisie Basolua (DRC), Krys M (Cameroon), Martha Mwaipaja (Tanzania), Nontokozo Mkhize (South Africa), Roseline Layo (Côte d’Ivoire), and Vestine & Dorcas (Rwanda).

AFRIMA is an annual awards event to reward and celebrate musical works, talents, and creativity around the African continent while promoting the African cultural heritage. Its pioneer awards show was held in 2014. The awards event was established by the International Committee AFRIMA in collaboration with the African Union (AU).

Lagos is hosting the awards ceremony for the third time after it was previously held in Ghana and Senegal.

The aims and objectives of AFRIMA go beyond recognising artistry. Its mission is to honour talent, elevate African music’s global presence, support emerging artists, and celebrate cultural diversity.

For the 2026 edition, over 5,000 physical delegates, international artists, creatives, media, policymakers, and millions of viewers across Africa and the diaspora, along with production professionals, converged at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos State, bringing international attention and boosting occupancy in hotels, demand for local transport, and patronage of restaurants and entertainment venues.

Speaking on partnership, Acting Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Olayinka Ijabiyi, said: “This partnership strongly aligns with our strategic pillars — Youth, Lifestyle, First@Arts, SME, and Digital Adoption, while supporting FirstBank’s continental footprint and pan-African brand positioning. Deepen youth engagement and brand affinity, drive deposits, collections, and account openings during event campaigns, increase adoption of our digital channels, and strengthen top-of-mind awareness in key urban markets.”