Mahama Urges Tourism Ministry to Honor Agya Koo Nimo’s Legacy

President John Mahama has called on the tourism ministry to celebrate legendary Ghanaian musician, Agya Koo Nimo.

In his speech at the Black Star Experience launch in Accra on May 1, 2025,  President Mahama urged the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, to organize a ceremony in honor of the Highlife icon’s legacy.

“This is a man we must honour before he passes. We should not wait until our legends die and go and cry at their funerals,” he eulogized Agya Koo. “Let’s honour him before God calls him.”

Born Kwabena Boa-Amponsem on 3 October 1934, Agya Koo Nimo is famously known for his expertise in palmwine music, a genre of West African music that originated among the Kru people of Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1920s, combining local melodies and rhythms with calypso music to create a laid-back, guitar-driven sound.

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Agya Koo Nimo gained national recognition with the Addadam Agofomma ensemble. His music often tells traditional stories in Twi. Notably, his album “Osabarima” (1990) was a milestone, being the first Ghanaian artist’s work released on CD. Koo Nimo later taught ethnomusicology at esteemed US universities, including the University of Washington (1998-2000) and the University of Michigan.

Agya Koo Nimo has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to Ghanaian music and culture, including:

1. Asanteman award (1991)
2. Flagstar Award (1991)
3. Gold medal for the 40th Anniversary of Ghana’s independence (1997)
4. Konkoma Award
5. Entertainment Achievement Award
6. Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Education, Winneba (2017)