African stars such as Yemi Alade, Nasty C and Babes Wodumo have been invited to perform at  first-ever edition of the MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016 (MAMA).

According to Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, General Manager, Multichoice Ghana, “The MAMA's highlights the 'gold standard' in contemporary music, creativity and achievement.”

He added that the MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016 promises to be the biggest and best ever, with more than 15,000 fans expected to fill out the Ticketpro Dome for the unique celebration.

The ceremony will feature stunning performances from African and international artistes along with the show's signature cross-genre and cross-border collaborations

MAMA 2016 will celebrate African talent across 18 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song and Best Collaboration, in partnership with Absolut.

The contribution of artistes from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa will also be recognised in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories.

Additional categories include the Africa Re-Imagined Award and Personality of the Year.

The nominations for the awards will be revealed in two parts: on September 21in Johannesburg and in Lagos on October 2.

Celebrating the pan-African scope of the MAMA, the awards will encompass two stunning 'Road to MAMA' events featuring MAMA nominees and superstar DJs, to be held in Durban and Lagos.  Another much-anticipated element of MAMA 2016 will be a music industry workshop for aspiring musicians held on the day prior to the awards (October 21).

The MTV Africa Music Awards2016 will broadcast live on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV (DStv Channel 130) on Saturday, October 22 at 7:00pmGMT. The show will also be transmitted worldwide on partner stations and content platforms from October onwards, while MTV channels around the world will broadcast a one-hour MAMA-themed MTV World Stage.

The MAMA 2016 is brought to you by Joburg Tourism, in partnership with Absolut and Google, and in association with MTN and DStv will take place on Saturday, October 22, 2016. To join the conversation about the awards, use the hashtag #MTVMAMA2016.