His songs were played at funerals, in trotros and at dawn prayers in compounds across Ghana. Yaw Sarpong and his band Asomafo made gospel music that sounded like highlife, sung in Twi for ordinary people. When he died on 20 January 2026, aged 66, tributes came from churches, radio stations and fellow musicians across the country.
Asomafo
Sarpong founded the band Asomafo in 1986. The name means “messengers” in Twi. The group’s mix of gospel lyrics with highlife guitar, rhythm and harmony made their music easy to dance to and easy to sing along with.
A hard childhood
Sarpong was the son of a former Member of Parliament from the Nkrumah era. His father was imprisoned and died after a coup, and his mother moved the family to Akyease. Reports say Sarpong worked as a taxi driver before turning to music full-time.
Gospel highlife
Gospel highlife grew in Ghana in the 1980s and 1990s, as churches embraced popular musical styles. Asomafo was one of the leading groups, alongside others who blended faith and highlife. Their songs addressed sin, suffering, death, gratitude and hope in language that spoke directly to listeners’ lives.
The songs
Over his career, Sarpong released around 25 albums and more than 100 songs. Tracks such as “Awurade Kasa”, “Oko Yi” and “Tie Obiaa” are widely known. Many of his songs are played at funerals, where their themes of mortality and faith comfort mourners.
Maame Tiwa
Maame Tiwa, a singer long associated with Sarpong and Asomafo, died in December 2025, less than two months before him. Fans described the two deaths as the end of an era.
Honours
Sarpong won Best Gospel Album at the ECRAG Awards in 1999. At the 26th Telecel Ghana Music Awards in 2025, he received a lifetime achievement award, recognising his contribution to Ghanaian gospel music.
Kumasi mourns
Sarpong died in the Ashanti Region. Residents of Kumasi called on the government and the Musicians Union of Ghana to honour his legacy, describing him as a musician who served the people.
Ghanaian gospel music today includes polished worship albums and stadium concerts. Yaw Sarpong’s songs come from an older tradition: highlife guitar, Twi lyrics and a message aimed at people who might be hearing it in a crowded bus on the way to work.
