Own Africavision Song Contest 12

Own Africavision Song Contest 12, often referred to as OAfSC #12, is the 12th edition of Own Africavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Lilongwe, Malawi, following the country's victory in the eleventh edition with the song "Dawn" by GrisVer feat. Nandi. It was the first time Malawi had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own African Union of Broadcasting and host broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, the contest was held at the Bingu National Stadium, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Priscilla Kayira.

Fourty-eight countries participated in the contest. Algeria, Botswana, Gabon, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Western Sahara returned to the competition, while Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Réunion, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sudan withdrew for various reasons.

Location
Further information on the host country: Malawi

Host city
Lilongwe is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, in the district of the same name, near the borders with Mozambique and Zambia, and it is an important economic and transportation hub for central Malawi. It is named after the Lilongwe River.

Lilongwe was first set up as a boma by the local leader Njewa in 1902. It became an administrative center in 1904. In the 1920s, its location at the junction of several major roadways increased its importance as an agricultural market centre for the fertile Central Region Plateau. As a trading post, Lilongwe was officially recognised as a town in 1947. After gaining independence, it increasingly developed into an important trading centre in Malawi's central region. In 1965, Malawi's first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, selected it as an economic growth point for northern and central Malawi. Lilongwe became the capital of Malawi in 1975, replacing the previous capital, Zomba. The last government offices were relocated to Lilongwe in 2005.

Development projects of the 1970s and 1980s included the construction of Lilongwe International Airport, which serves the city; rail connections to Salima to the east and the Zambian border to the west; industrial areas in the northern part of the city; and an agricultural program for the fertile tobacco lands of the Central Region Plateau. Lilongwe's population continues to experience rapid growth. The city's population is increasing rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 4.3%

Venue
Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe is the national stadium of Malawi. It is used for football matches and also has an athletics track. It hosts the home games of the Malawi national football team. It holds 41,100 people. It is named after former Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika. This stadium became Ethiopian Football Federation home arena. This follows Ethiopian Football Federation request to CAF to use BNS as their national stadium is banned to host international matches for lacking minimum requirements as per the CAF Club Licensing criteria.

Semi-final allocation draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 9 August 2022. The draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty-one countries participated in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the host and the automatic qualifiers in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty-two semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Semi-final 1
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau and Malawi also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Benin, Egypt and Tanzania also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 48 participating countries eligible to vote.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Africavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OAUB membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.
 * The Guinean head of delegation announced a one edition break.
 * The Malian head of delegation announced a one edition break.
 * The Mauritanian head of delegation announced that they had been hired by the Brazzaville-Congolese broadcaster following the first nonqualification in the previous edition. The Mauritanian broadcaster failed to hire a new head of delegation before the deadline, and was forced to withdraw from the edition.
 * With Mayotte getting promoted to a full OAUB membership in 11th edition, the broadcaster hired a head of delegation. However, they failed to acknowledge the invitations sent out by the OAUB. As such, the OAUB announced sanctions on Mayotte la 1ère, which included the removal of the Mahorais head of delegation. Mayotte la 1ère is free to hire a new head of delegation starting in the 13th edition.
 * The broadcaster announced a one edition break.
 * Despite initially confirming, the Leonian head of delegation sent a message from Montego Bay, as they were hired to oversee the vote collection and ensure no anomalies happened. As such, the delegation wasn't penalised, even if they ordinarily would in this situation.
 * After a second non qualification in a row, it was decided that South Africa will skip one edition to reform the selection method and give local songwriters more time to prepare suitable entries. A return in the 13th edition should be expected.
 * The Sudanese head of delegation announced a one edition break.
 * Following the fourth place finish with "Mama" back in the 10th edition, the broadcaster failed to acknowledge the invitations for the next two editions. As such, the OAUB announced sanctions on the ZNBC, which included the removal of the Zambian head of delegation. ZNBC is free to hire a new head of delegation starting in the 13th edition.