Afro Nation unveils first batch of Lagos acts

The urban festival is slated for Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos on 19 and 20 December, with more artists expected to be announced soon.

Earlier this month, the organisers confirmed the dates for the Nigeria edition, following maiden US events at the 40 000-capacity LoanDepot Park in Miami in May, followed by a Detroit edition in August.

Historically, the event, which was previously held in Portugal, Puerto Rico and Mexico, has lined up the biggest Afrobeats stars, with Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy as usual fixtures alongside US pop icons like Usher and Chris Brown.

The last time the festival was held in West Africa, in Ghana in December 2022, it paraded local stars KiDi, Black Sherif, Stonebwoy, Gyakie, Kuami Eugene, Nigeria’s P-Square, Tiwa Savage and CKay, South African amapiano star Kamo Mphela and US rapper Meek Mill. Day 2 of that event ended abruptly due to safety concerns. 

Afro Nation Nigeria is expected to feature multiple stages and leading artists from a wide array of genres including amapiano, Afro-house, hip hop, R&B and dancehall.

Often cited as the world’s biggest Afrobeats event, the festival is produced by global events company Event Horizon in partnership with Live Nation, SMADE Entertainment and MOT. Last year, the festival brand secured an agreement with Billboard to launch the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart. Afro Nation is also responsible for initiating the weekly Official Afrobeats Chart on BBC Radio 1Xtra three years ago.