The African Union Commission (AUCS) in partnership with the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) will announce the city to officially host AFRIMA 2016 edition on Monday.
This is contained in a statement, signed by a representative of AFRIMA, Nneka Uche, made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
Uche said the AUCS had in January identified and nominated four states in Nigeria from which it will select one of them to host the 2016 edition of the event.
The cities are state capitals Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Lagos.
He said the cities were chosen because of the vision of their state governments in promoting tourism, preserving Africa’s rich culture and inspiring the youths.
Other key factors considered are security, infrastructure and availability of appropriate venues among others.
Dr Mustapha Kaloko, the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, was quoted in the statement as saying that the main purpose of host city partnership was to shore up Africa’s image of a great continent sprawling with unequalled tourist attractions.
“This, invariably, will assist in showcasing the economic potential of cities in Africa.
“It is to promote Africa’s strengths to the global audience which, in turn, adds to the GDP of the state and the continent at large,’’ he said.
The associate producer of the AFRIMA, Ms Adenrele Niyi , said that transparency and fairness, as depicted in AFRIMA’s ethos, would be highly employed in the choice of state that emerges as host.
“AFRIMA is an international platform which seeks to celebrate the African cultural heritage and values using this channel to reward established talents as well as emerging music talents of African origin.
“Also, AFRIMA creates sustainable growth of the African music industry as a contributor to national and continental economies.
“Among AFRIMA’s core values are fairness, integrity and transparency.
“The AU and the International Committee of AFRIMA will stand by these values in the choice of the host city for the 2016 edition,’’ Niyi said.
The AUC and AFRIMA partnership was established as a continental music and cultural initiative to celebrate, reward and showcase the rich musical heritage of Africa.
It also aims to stimulate conversations among Africans and the rest of the globe about the great potential and values of the African culture and artistic legacy for the purpose of creating jobs and reducing poverty.
Dignitaries expected at the Host City Announcement Ceremony are top officials of the African Union, nominated state government officials and music professionals.
Others are artistes from the continent and the Diaspora, stakeholders in the creative and entertainment industry, journalists from all walks of life.
The continental award tagged AFRIMA 3.0, will hold its grand finale from Nov. 4 to Nov 6 in the city that emerges as the host.