Black Sherif won it in 2023 and again in 2026. Diana Hamilton took it with a gospel song. In 2019 nobody won at all. The Ghana Music Awards’ Artiste of the Year is the biggest prize in Ghanaian music, and its list of winners since 1999 tells the story of the country’s sound, from hiplife pioneers to drill-era stars. Here is every Ghana Music Awards Artiste of the Year winner, with what made each year.
The full list, 1999 to 2026
1999: Akyeame (Okyeame Quophi and Okyeame Kwame). 2000: Daddy Lumba. 2001: Kojo Antwi. 2002: Lord Kenya. 2003: Kontihene. 2004: V.I.P. 2005: Bice Osei Kuffour. 2006: Ofori Amponsah. 2007: Samini. 2008: Kwaw Kese. 2009: Okyeame Kwame. 2010: Sarkodie. 2011: V.I.P. 2012: Sarkodie. 2013: R2Bees. 2014: Shatta Wale. 2015: Stonebwoy. 2016: E.L. 2017: Joe Mettle. 2018: Ebony Reigns. 2019: not announced. 2020: Kuami Eugene. 2021: Diana Hamilton. 2022: KiDi. 2023: Black Sherif. 2024: Stonebwoy. 2025: King Promise. 2026: Black Sherif.
The list follows Wikipedia’s record of the awards. Here are the stories behind the names on AfroYard.
2000: Daddy Lumba
A year after winning three awards in 1999, including Album of the Year, Daddy Lumba was named Artiste of the Year in 2000. He died in July 2025 at 60, and in 2026 his family objected to Ofori Amponsah’s remix of their shared song “Jane”.
2006: Ofori Amponsah
Ofori Amponsah won seven awards in one night in 2006, including Artiste of the Year, on the strength of “Otoolege”.
2007: Samini
Samini was Artiste of the Year in 2007, a year after winning Best African Act at the MOBO Awards.
2010 and 2012: Sarkodie
Sarkodie won twice in three years, and in 2012 he also won the BET Award for Best International Act: Africa. In 2019 the awards named him Artiste of the Decade.
2013: R2Bees
The Tema cousins R2Bees won in 2013, the year of Refuse to Be Broke, their BET nomination and a Forbes list of African acts to watch.
2014: Shatta Wale
A year after attacking the Ghana Music Awards in a song, Shatta Wale was their Artiste of the Year for “Dancehall King”.
2015 and 2024: Stonebwoy
Stonebwoy won in 2015, the same year as his BET Award, and again nine years later in 2024.
2018: Ebony Reigns
Ebony Reigns was named Artiste of the Year in April 2018, two months after her death. Sarkodie later featured her on his 2019 EP Alpha, a collaboration he teased at a concert held in her memory.
2019: no winner
In 2019 the organisers did not announce an Artiste of the Year at all, after a brawl broke out between the entourages of Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale at the ceremony, according to MyJoyOnline’s report cited by Wikipedia.
2020: Kuami Eugene
Kuami Eugene won at 23, a year after his album Rockstar took Album of the Year.
2021: Diana Hamilton
Gospel singer Diana Hamilton won for “Adom”, taking Gospel Artiste of the Year the same night. Joe Mettle, in 2017, is the only other gospel act on the list.
2022: KiDi
KiDi won after The Golden Boy took Album of the Year and “Touch It” became the most-streamed Ghanaian song on Spotify at the time.
2023 and 2026: Black Sherif
Black Sherif won in 2023, the year after “Kwaku the Traveller”, and again in 2026, the year after Iron Boy. He was 21 the first time and 24 the second.
2025: King Promise
King Promise won in 2025. “Terminator” had been Ghana’s most-streamed song on Spotify in 2023, and his album True to Self won Album of the Year.
Who has won twice
Five acts have won it twice: Okyeame Kwame (once with Akyeame), V.I.P, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Black Sherif. Nobody has won three times. With Black Sherif only 24, he is the obvious candidate to be first.
