AFRIMA partners Lesotho Music Awards to expand opportunities for Basotho artistes
The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the Lesotho Music Awards (LMA) have entered into a three-year partnership aimed at strengthening Lesotho’s music industry and creating more opportunities for Basotho artistes across Africa.
The partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), designates the Lesotho Music Awards as AFRIMA’s collaborating country partner and regional liaison in the Kingdom of Lesotho.
A statement issued on Tuesday disclosed that the collaboration would focus on artiste development, talent discovery, institutional partnerships, knowledge sharing, industry networking, advocacy and stronger collaboration among governments, private sector stakeholders, media organisations and players in the music industry.
Under the agreement, the Lesotho Music Awards will promote AFRIMA initiatives, encourage more Basotho artistes to participate in AFRIMA programmes and coordinate AFRIMA-related activities in the country. AFRIMA, in turn, will provide official recognition, promotional support, collaborative programmes and sustained institutional engagement.
The agreement also provides for AFRIMA’s involvement in the adjudication and verification of selected Lesotho Music Awards categories to strengthen transparency, accountability and international credibility, while preserving the independence of the awards’ other categories.
Founder and Executive Director of the Lesotho Music Awards, Malibe Mahao, described the partnership as a major milestone for the country’s music industry, saying it would connect Basotho artistes with one of Africa’s leading music platforms while opening up new opportunities for talent development, investment, collaboration and continental recognition.
AFRIMA’s Chief Experience Officer, Adenrele Niyi, said the collaboration reflects the organisation’s vision of building a stronger African music ecosystem through talent development, cultural exchange and industry growth. He added that the partnership would deepen collaboration across the continent and create more opportunities for African creatives.
Founded in 2014 by the International Committee of AFRIMA in partnership with the African Union, AFRIMA has grown into one of the continent’s foremost music awards platforms. The Lesotho Music Awards, established in 2021, is the country’s leading platform for recognising excellence in the Basotho music industry. Both organisations said they would unveil joint programmes, artiste initiatives and industry engagements in the coming months.
