AFRIMMA 2026 saw Davido win Album of the Year for 5ive, while Tems, Ruger and Phyno claimed major honours as Nigerian stars made a strong showing in Dallas.
Nigeria had a big night at AFRIMMA 2026, with Davido, Tems, Ruger and Phyno among the Nigerian stars taking home major honours from the African Muzik Magazine Awards in Dallas, Texas.
The 2026 ceremony was held on September 12 at Annette Strauss Square in Dallas, marking the return of the awards after a two-year break. The event brought together African artistes, entertainers and other cultural figures from across the continent and the diaspora, with winners recognised across 41 categories.
For Nigerian music, several of the night’s most closely watched categories ended with familiar names taking the spotlight.
Davido Wins AFRIMMA 2026 Album of the Year
Davido claimed Album of the Year at AFRIMMA 2026 for his fifth studio album, 5ive.
The award puts another major accolade behind the project, which was released in April 2025. 5ive features collaborations with international and Nigerian acts, including Chris Brown, Victoria Monét, Becky G, Omah Lay and Victony.
Davido arrived at the 2026 AFRIMMA ceremony as one of the leading nominees, with five nominations. However, the singer did not take home the Artist of the Year award. That honour went to Congolese star Fally Ipupa, who also received the Crossing Boundaries with Music Award.
The result still gave Davido one of the ceremony’s headline honours and added to the recognition surrounding 5ive.
Tems and Ruger Take West Africa Honours
Tems also emerged as one of Nigeria’s major winners after securing Best Female West Africa.
The award adds another regional recognition to the singer’s growing international profile and places her among the artistes recognised for their contribution to West African music at this year’s ceremony.
Ruger followed with the Best Male West Africa award. The Nigerian singer’s victory was one of the regional honours presented at AFRIMMA 2026, with the awards also recognising leading artistes from East, Central, Southern and North Africa.
AFRIMMA’s official results confirm Ruger as the Best Male West Africa winner and Tems as the Best Female West Africa winner.
The regional categories gave the ceremony a wider African focus, with Marioo winning Best Male East Africa, Nikita Kering taking Best Female East Africa, Gerilson Israel winning Best Male Central Africa and Emma’a receiving Best Female Central Africa.
Phyno Secures Best Male Rap Act
Veteran Nigerian rapper Phyno also left the ceremony with a major award after winning Best Male Rap Act.
The recognition adds another chapter to Phyno’s long-running career in Nigerian hip-hop. His AFRIMMA victory came in a category that also featured established rap talent from across the African music scene.
The official AFRIMMA results list Phyno as the winner of Best Male Rap Act, while Ghanaian rapper Eno Barony took the corresponding Best Female Rap Act category.
Phyno’s win was part of a broader Nigerian presence across different areas of the awards, extending beyond Afrobeats into rap, gospel, reggae and dancehall.
More Nigerian Winners at AFRIMMA 2026
Davido, Tems, Ruger and Phyno were not the only Nigerians recognised at the ceremony.
Fola won Best Newcomer, while Mercy Chinwo took Best Gospel. DJ Tunez was named Best DJ Africa, and Patoranking won Best Male Reggae/Dancehall.
The Nigerian winners also included Victony, who received the AFRIMMA Fans Choice Award, Director Pink for Best Video Director and producer London, who won Music Producer of the Year.
Outside music, Real Warri Pikin was named Best Comedian, Victor Osimhen received Athlete of the Year, Nasty Blaq won Best Influencer and Uche Montana took Best Actor/Actress.
The official results also show Kwate as Best African USA-Based Artist and DJ Prince as Best African DJ USA, further adding to the Nigerian-linked names recognised during the awards.
AFRIMMA 2026 Celebrates African Music and Culture
The awards extended beyond the headline Nigerian victories. Fally Ipupa was named Artist of the Year, while Bnxn and Sarz won Song of the Year. Timaya received the Timeless Impact Award, and Diamond Platnumz and Juma Jux won Best Collaboration.
Other winners included Tyla for Best Female Southern Africa, DJ Maphorisa for Best Male Southern Africa, Shenseea for Best Female Reggae/Dancehall and Dope Nation for Best African Group.
AFRIMMA described its 2026 programme as a celebration of artists, visionaries and culture-shapers helping to define African creativity on the global stage. The official results covered 41 honours across music, entertainment, culture and impact.
For Nigeria, however, the night belonged to a wide range of established and emerging names. Davido’s 5ive took Album of the Year, while Tems, Ruger and Phyno collected major individual awards, underscoring the breadth of Nigerian representation at one of the year’s notable celebrations of African music.
