Ghana music’s biggest night saw Black Sherif winning the coveted Artiste of the Year, Medikal’s hit song, Shoulder, grabbing the Telecel Most Popular Song of the Year, Lali x Lola awarded the Telecel Music for Good Award and a lifetime achievement honour for late highlife legend, Daddy Lumba.

Telecel Group’s senior leadership team, led by CEO, Moh Damush, attended the star-studded event, which reflects the seriousness with which the telecoms conglomerate takes the partnership that has helped reshape Ghana's music industry from a celebrated national institution into a continent-facing cultural export.

In 15 years, the partnership, which began under Vodafone in 2011 and continued through the rebrand to Telecel in 2024, has helped fund the music awards scheme to extend the genre categories, expand TGMA Xperience Concert series to regional capitals, introduce TGMA in Schools initiative and contributed to the overall growth of the creative arts sector, as a major contributor to economic and social development.

“Music and culture are at the heart of our identity because they connect us to our roots, our history, and our future. Telecel is committed to connecting energies through music; which is why building a resilient music industry where artists are recognised for their talent, hard work, and impact is important to us,” Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive of Telecel Ghana, said in her welcome video address on the night. “The creative industry is an important contributor to Ghana’s socio-economic development, and the TGMAs play a vital role in nurturing the growth of our creative economy.”

Ghana's creative economy, with music as a primary driver alone, contributes an estimated 3 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Streaming revenue for Ghanaian artists has grown significantly in recent years, and the global appetite for highlife-inspired Afrobeats, in which Ghana has played a defining role, has created a cultural and economic export value that reaches into global film, fashion, tourism, sports and beyond.

CEO of Charterhouse, the organisers of the TGMA, Theresa Ayoade, acknowledged the partnership directly in her video message on the night. “For 27 years, the TGMA stage has amplified the heartbeat of the nation. It has celebrated excellence, preserved culture, inspired generations and projected Ghanaian music beyond our borders. To Telecel Ghana and our partners, thank you for your commitment and sacrifice in keeping this dream alive year after year.”

The 27^th TGMA, themed ‘A Touch of Glitter’, featured show-stopping performances from Black Sherif, Medikal, Wendy Shay, Piesie Esther, Kofi Kinaata, Lasmid, Samini and a lifetime achievement tribute performance by Ofori Amponsah, Okyeame Kwame and Kwabena Kwabena to honour the late music legend, Daddy Lumba.  

On the night, Black Sherif made history as the fourth musician to win the Artiste of the Year award twice in the last 27 years, joining VIP, Sarkodie, and Stonebwoy in that record bracket. The 24-year-old international music sensation also won four other awards, including the competitive Album of the Year for his sophomore album, Iron Boy’, Songwriter of the Year and Best Afro Pop Song with ‘Sacrifice’, as well as Best Hip Hop Song with ‘Where Dem Boyz.’

Rapper Medikal also had a successful night, winning multiple awards including the Telecel Most Popular Song of the Year, Best Hiplife Song and Collaboration of the Year for his hit song ‘Shoulder’, as well as walking away with the Best Hiplife/Hip-hop Artiste of the Year award.

The Telecel Music for Good Award went to the Afrofusion duo, Lali x Lola, for their #CroxItOut campaign, a breast cancer literacy programme that has toured 21 schools across five regions of Ghana to educate young people on the disease that kills about half of people diagnosed at the late stage. The identical twin sisters will receive a cash prize towards their breast cancer awareness campaign.

Other award winners on the night include Kofi Kinaata, Wendy Shay, Moliy, Stonebwoy Enam, Kojo Blak, Diana Hamilton, Piesie Esther, Davido, Strongman and Keche, among others.

At the end of the main event, the Telecel Red Room, which is the official after-party of the TGMAs, hosted senior leaders, musicians, creative industry stakeholders, partners and high-value customers of the telco over drinks, gourmet food and music.

For Telecel, the investment in Ghana’s music industry is inseparable from its broader identity on the continent for connecting passions, dreams, businesses, lifestyles and creative energies. The consistent support of the TGMAs over the last 15 years has enabled the telecommunications giant to celebrate artistic excellence and actively contribute to the growth of Ghana’s creative economy monumentally.