Why Wizkid lost African award: MTV

Organisers of the MTV EMAs have blamed
human error for awarding Nigeria’s Wizkid
the ‘Best African Act’ award last month.
The award has now been given to
Tanzania’s Ali Kiba, meaning Wizkid now
retains only the “Best Worldwide Act” award
The stripping of Wizkid of the African award
provoked a social media outcry, but
MTV explained:
Wizkid
‘Both Wizkid and Alikiba are great artistes and
deserving winners at the MTV EMAs and we
congratulate them wholeheartedly on their
achievements. We apologise for any
confusion but we are pleased to recognise the
achievements of both these artists on this
global platform.’
‘Worldwide Act’ winners, including Wizkid,
were selected by an international committee
of MTV music executives to recognise current
artists who are rising to have a
wider geographic appeal beyond their local
regions.
The winners were chosen based on a range
of criteria including international MTV video
play, radio airplay, streams, and sales across
multiple territories and regions.
The winner of the ‘Best African Act’ award
was selected by fans via votes
on MTVEMA.com.
Ali Kiba has also commented on winning the
award saying, ‘Thanks to MTV for this huge
honour – it’s very exciting to be recognized
at the MTV EMAs and I am delighted to bring
home the award to my fans in Tanzania and
East Africa. Thank you to my family and
management.’