AFRIMMA, the African Muzik Magazine Awards, is returning on September 12, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, after a two-year break. When the nomination list dropped, Ghana had 21 slots across the categories. Black Sherif accounted for four of them. Sarkodie received a nomination that, in most awards contexts, signals the end of the conversation about whether someone belongs in the conversation at all.
Black Sherif’s Four Nominations
Black Sherif, born Mohammed Ismail Sherif, is nominated for Best Male West Africa, Best Male Rap Act, Song of the Year for “So It Goes,” and Album of the Year for IRONBOY. That last category puts him in direct competition with the continent’s biggest releases of the cycle. AFRIMMA’s Album of the Year field typically includes Nigerian heavyweights who have been building global numbers for years. Black Sherif is in that field.
The “So It Goes” nomination confirms what the streaming numbers have been saying for months. The song crossed 250 million Spotify streams as part of the broader IRONBOY cycle, making it one of the most-streamed Ghanaian tracks in the platform’s history in the country.
Sarkodie and the Timeless Impact Award
Sarkodie’s nomination is for the AFRIMMA Timeless Impact Award, a category created to honour artists whose body of work has shaped African music over time. The other nominees in the category are Timaya and Flavour from Nigeria, Amr Diab from Egypt, Nameless from Kenya, Oskido from South Africa, Kcee from Nigeria, Slap Dee from Zambia, Bebe Cool from Uganda, and Mafikizolo from South Africa.
That is the list Sarkodie is on. Every name in that group has been performing at the top of their national market for over a decade. Being nominated in that company at 38 is not a retirement gesture. It is a career classification.
The Rest of Ghana’s 21
Shatta Wale received a Best Male Reggae/Dancehall nomination. Moliy is also among Ghana’s representatives in the list. The full 21 nominations make Ghana one of the better-represented countries at AFRIMMA 2026, behind Nigeria which leads the overall field with Davido, Burna Boy, and Tems heading their contingent.
AFRIMMA 2026 takes place September 12 at Annette Strauss Square in Dallas.
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