The awards, organised by Global Expert Recovery, is among the flagship events established to recognise practitioners of gospel music in Ghana. The launch will see the board of the scheme detail the roadmap for the main awards ceremony, which is expected to take place early next year.
“Gospel Music is highly rated and as such there is the need to appreciate our artists who spend fortunes to release albums or singles,” Global Expert Recovery CEO Peter Kwabena Dwobeng Sergio told Music in Africa. “So our goal is to reward excellence.”
This is the first time that the event, which is traditionally held in Kumasi, will be launched in the capital Accra. It is also likely that the awards ceremony will be held in Accra. On the decision to change the location of the launch, Sergio said: “The event is a national one, so each region has the capability to host the event.”
This year also sees the introduction of regional representatives. This, Sergio added, would help bridge the communication gap between the awards platform and artists from less vibrant regions. “There is a notion that artists in Accra and Kumasi are favoured, and we brought up these regional reps to help communicate better and identify good songs from all regions. We have also considered Africa and other parts of the world,” he said.
Since their inception, the GNGMAs have awarded some 80 gospel musicians. Singer Celestine Donkor, who picked up the Best Female Vocal Performance and Gospel Song of the Year awards at the 2020 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, is the reigning GNGMA Artist of the Year. Other past GNGMA winners include Nacee, Harmonious Chorale and Kofi Kinaata.
After the 25 September launch, the nomination process will begin and fans will get to vote for their favourite artists. The awards comprise 26 categories, including industry and lifetime achievement honours.