Bernice Offei: The woman behind the music

Bernice Offei built a career that went beyond being a recording artist. She was a gospel musician, songwriter, guitarist and banker who spent more than three decades using music to communicate messages of faith, perseverance, gratitude and hope.

She was born in Accra and had her basic education at Royal Preparatory School at Osu before continuing to Achimota School, where her interest in gospel music began to take shape. During her secondary school years, she was called upon to sing at Scripture Union meetings and other Christian programmes.

Her involvement in Christian music deepened in the late 1970s when she joined the Calvary Road Singers in 1978. She performed with the group at various Christian programmes, gaining experience that later helped shape her career as a solo gospel artiste.

Offei was also a guitarist. She learned to play the instrument and would sometimes accompany herself during performances, a skill that distinguished her from many female gospel singers of her generation.

Offei’s transition into professional gospel music was gradual. She was encouraged to develop her songwriting abilities and eventually moved from performing mainly at Christian gatherings to recording her own material.

Her first album, We Are Victors, was released in 1991. The project marked the beginning of a recording career that would eventually produce several albums and more than 40 songs.

She followed it with projects including Hold On, Me Kosu, Grateful and Life. Some sources also list Victory among her later recorded works.

“Hold On” establishes her as a gospel voice

Among the songs that helped establish Bernice Offei’s name was “Hold On.”

The song carried a message of endurance, encouraging listeners not to give up in difficult circumstances. Its message of remaining steadfast in faith became closely associated with Offei and contributed to her popularity among Ghanaian gospel audiences.

Hold On also demonstrated an important feature of Offei’s music: she often used everyday struggles and experiences as a starting point for messages rooted in Christian faith.

“Life Is Short” becomes a defining song

Another major song in her catalogue was  Life Is Short, from her 2007 album Life.

The song reflected on the temporary nature of human life and encouraged listeners to consider how they spend the time available to them. Its message of mortality, purpose and reflection became one of the defining themes associated with Offei’s musical legacy.

The song was particularly important to her career because Life earned her two major honours at the 2009 Ghana Music Awards. She won Best Female Vocal Performance for Life and Songwriter of the Year for the same work. The official Ghana Music Awards records confirm both awards.

A songwriter as well as a singer

Offei’s contribution to gospel music was not limited to her ability to sing.

She was also recognised as a songwriter, with her compositions often focusing on Christian faith, God’s grace, perseverance and the realities of human life.

Her catalogue includes songs such as Nyame Kokroko, Kaa She Gbeyei, N’adom Ara Kwa, It’s By Grace, No One Compares, Who Am I, Me Gyefo Te Ase, Suomo, Your Handiwork, Take Your Glory and Nyame Aye Bi Ama Yen.

The variety of titles reflects the recurring themes in her music: worship, gratitude, dependence on God, God’s faithfulness and encouragement during difficult periods.

Music alongside a banking career

Away from the stage, Bernice Offei pursued a professional career in banking.

She worked with Standard Chartered Bank while continuing her gospel ministry. For years, she maintained a balance between her professional responsibilities and her music.

Her academic background was equally notable. She studied at the University of Ghana, where she obtained an MPhil in Crop Science, and later pursued a master’s degree in Information Technology in the United Kingdom.

In 2016, she reportedly left banking to concentrate fully on gospel music and ministry. The decision marked a major transition from balancing two careers to dedicating herself entirely to the calling she had pursued for decades.

Her philosophy about gospel music

Offei also spoke publicly about what she believed gospel music should represent.

In a 2019 interview on Hitz FM’s This Is Gospel, she advised gospel musicians not to make awards their primary motivation.

She argued that gospel artistes should focus on their calling and on spreading the Christian message rather than pursuing recognition. For Offei, awards were secondary to the spiritual purpose of gospel music.

That position matched the themes that ran through her own career. Despite receiving major industry recognition, including two Ghana Music Awards in 2009, she continued to emphasise faith and ministry.

Awards and recognition

Bernice Offei’s contribution to Ghanaian gospel music earned her several awards during her career.

Her most prominent recognition came at the 2009 Ghana Music Awards, where she won:

• Best Female Vocal Performance – “Life”
• Songwriter of the Year – “Life”

The official Ghana Music Awards archive confirms both wins.

A University of Education, Winneba academic source also records other honours associated with her career, including recognition at the Ceval Gospel Music Awards and the Unity Awards.

A legacy that goes beyond awards

For many listeners, however, Bernice Offei’s importance was not simply measured by the number of awards she won.

Her music became associated with messages that were easy to understand and relevant to everyday life. “Hold On” spoke to perseverance, while “Life Is Short” encouraged reflection on mortality. Other songs focused on God’s grace, goodness and faithfulness.

Her ability to combine those messages with a distinctive vocal style helped her remain relevant across generations.

With six albums and more than 40 songs credited to her career, Offei became one of the veteran female voices whose work helped shape Ghana’s gospel music landscape.

Family and personal life

Away from music and banking, Offei was married to Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei, a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana. The couple had two children.

Those close to her also remembered her for her Christian faith and disciplined lifestyle, qualities that were reflected in the messages she communicated through her music.

The meaning of her musical legacy

Bernice Offei’s catalogue provides a window into a particular era of Ghanaian gospel music—one in which songs were often built around testimony, Scripture, encouragement and reflection on life.

Her journey from a young singer at Scripture Union meetings, to a member of the Calvary Road Singers, to a recording artiste, award-winning songwriter and eventually a full-time gospel minister represents a career built steadily over several decades.

Her best-known songs, particularly “Hold On” and “Life Is Short,” ensured that her voice remained familiar to generations of Ghanaian gospel listeners.

Following her death at 63 on September 12, 2026, tributes have continued to focus on both her music and the values she represented. Ghana News Agency described her as an artiste whose work inspired faith, hope and resilience, while noting that her music continues to form part of Ghana’s gospel music heritage.