Bernice Offei is a Ghanaian gospel singer, songwriter, and former banker who has been active in Ghana’s gospel music industry since the late 20th century (Wikipedia, n.d.; africanmusiclibrary.org, n.d.).
A note on spelling: This article uses “Offei,” which is the spelling she uses on her own official YouTube channel (@BerniceOffei), as well as on her Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. “Ofei” is a variant spelling that appears on her Wikipedia page and on sites that mirror it; it is noted here only where it is the literal title of a cited source.
Early Life and Education
Offei was born in Accra, Ghana. She received her secondary education at Achimota School in Accra, and holds an MPhil in crop science from the University of Ghana as well as an MSc in Information Technology earned in the United Kingdom (Wikipedia, n.d.). According to YEN.com.gh (2026a), she taught herself to play the guitar in 1979, which marked the informal start of her musical journey.
Career
Offei pursued two parallel careers for much of her adult life: music and banking. For many years she worked as a banker with Standard Chartered Bank, a role she took up after returning to Ghana from her studies in the UK (Wikipedia, n.d.; YEN.com.gh, 2026a). In 2016, she stepped away from banking to focus on music full-time (YEN.com.gh, 2026a).
Her recording career began with the album We Are Victors, released in 1991 (africanmusiclibrary.org, n.d.). She went on to release several further albums over the following two decades, discussed in the discography section below.
Awards and Recognition
Offei’s most widely reported award win concerns her song “Life,” from the album of the same name. According to a contemporaneous report published by Modern Ghana the day after the ceremony, she won Best Female Vocal Performance (Solo/Group) for “Life” at the 10th Ghana Music Awards, held on April 4, 2009, in Accra and organized by Charterhouse (Modern Ghana, 2009).
This point requires a correction to commonly repeated online claims: several sources, including Wikipedia and sites that mirror its content, describe this as a win at the “2009 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards” or the “MTN Ghana Music Awards.” Neither branding appears accurate for 2009 based on contemporaneous reporting, which refers to the event simply as the Ghana Music Awards. (Vodafone’s title sponsorship of the awards, which gave rise to the “Vodafone Ghana Music Awards” name, dates from later years.) This article uses the name given in the primary, contemporaneous source.
Some secondary sources additionally credit her with a “Songwriter of the Year” award at the same ceremony (Wikipedia, n.d.; gharticles.com, n.d.). This claim could not be independently confirmed against contemporaneous award coverage and should be treated as unverified rather than established fact.
Personal Life
Offei is married to Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei, a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana. The couple have two children together (Wikipedia, n.d.; YEN.com.gh, 2026a).
Recent Development: Reported Missing and Found (September 2026)
On September 2, 2026, Ghanaian media reported that Offei, then 63 years old, had been reported missing after last being seen the previous day, September 1, near Nyaho-Tamakloe Street in the Agbogba area of Accra (Pulse Ghana, 2026).
The appeal for information circulated widely on social media, and fellow gospel artistes Empress Gifty and Diana Hamilton were among those who helped amplify the search publicly. Within roughly 24 hours of the initial report, a “Found Person Notice” confirmed she had been located, which was met with relief from fans and the wider gospel music community.
Discography (Albums)
| Album | Year Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| We Are Victors | 1991 | Debut album |
| Hold On | 1991 (also listed as 1997 on some digital platforms) | |
| Me Kosu / Me Ko So | 2003 (also listed as 2014 on some digital platforms) | Spelling varies by source |
| Grateful | 2004 | |
| Life | 2007 | Contains “Life Is Short”; won Best Female Vocal Performance at the 2009 Ghana Music Awards |
| Victory | 2013 | Listed by africanmusiclibrary.org; not independently corroborated elsewhere |
Release-year discrepancies above reflect genuine inconsistencies across sources — likely a mix of original release dates and later digital re-issue dates — rather than an error in this article.
Selected Songs
The following songs are drawn from her album track listings and current streaming catalog (Apple Music, n.d.; Spotify, n.d.; sonichits.com, n.d.):
- “Hold On”
- “Nyame Kokroko”
- “N’Adom Ara Kwa”
- “Odo A Wodo Mi Nti”
- “Who Could Stand”
- “Don Bi Rebo”
- “His Love for Me”
- “The Heavens Are Telling”
- “Life Is Short” (2007, from the album Life)
- “By Grace”
- “Merengyae W’akye De”
- “Nyame Aye Bi Ama Yen”
- “Your Handiwork”
- “Heaven Bound”
- “Your Will”
Disclaimer: This article is compiled from publicly available online sources — including Wikipedia, contemporaneous Ghanaian news reporting, and streaming-platform metadata — current as of September 2, 2026. It is intended for general informational purposes only. Biographical details for Ghanaian artists of this era are not always consistently documented, and minor discrepancies exist across sources (noted explicitly below where they occur). This should not be treated as an official biography, and readers seeking definitive facts (e.g., exact dates, legal name spelling, award records) should consult primary sources such as the artist herself, her management, or the Ghana Music Awards’ official archive.
References
africanmusiclibrary.org. (n.d.). Bernice Ofei profile and discography. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://africanmusiclibrary.org/artist/Bernice%20Ofei
Apple Music. (n.d.). Life is short – song by Bernice Offei. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://music.apple.com/us/song/life-is-short/1417141712
gharticles.com. (n.d.). Biography of Bernice Ofei. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://gharticles.com/biography-of-bernice-ofei/
Lyricsify. (n.d.). Bernice Offei – Life is short lyrics. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://www.lyricsify.com/lyrics/bernice-offei/life-is-short
Modern Ghana. (2009, April 5). Okyeame Kwame and Praye were big winners of Ghana Music Awards 2009. https://www.modernghana.com/entertainment/8986/okyeame-kwame-and-praye-were-big-winners-of-ghana-music-awar.html
Pulse Ghana. (2026, September 2). Ghanaian gospel singer Bernice Offei reported missing in Accra. https://www.pulse.com.gh/story/bernice-offei-reported-missing-accra-2026090215092143782
Shazam. (n.d.). Life is short – Bernice Offei: Song lyrics, music videos & concerts. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://www.shazam.com/song/1417141712/life-is-short
sonichits.com. (n.d.). Hold On – Bernice Offei lyrics, meaning & videos. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://sonichits.com/album/Bernice_Offei/Hold_On
Spotify. (n.d.). Nyame Kokroko – song and lyrics by Bernice Offei. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://open.spotify.com/track/1Q3jBPAAHdxjANXHPZNarG
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bernice Ofei. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernice_Ofei
YEN.com.gh. (2026a, September 2). Bernice Offei: Background, education, family, career, awards and more about missing gospel legend. https://yen.com.gh/entertainment/celebrities/311187-bernice-offei-background-education-family-career-awards-missing-gospel-legend/
YEN.com.gh. (2026b, September 2). Gospel singer Bernice Offei found after going missing in Accra, details of current condition emerge. https://yen.com.gh/entertainment/celebrities/311189-gospel-singer-bernice-offei-missing-accra-details-current-condition-emerge/
