Kofi Owusu Peprah's journey from crime to Christ

KOFI Owusu Peprah's background in Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), now the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), may seem worlds apart from his current role as a Gospel musician.

However, the choice to become a "soldier for the kingdom" was a calling he couldn't ignore when he was faced with the option four years ago.
During a live radio interview, Kofi Owusu received a query from his bosses. His offence? The ethics of the profession did not allow officers to publicly engage in music or related activities and were given the opportunity to either resign or quit everything relating to music. He chose the former.
Four years later, the ‘Matwen’ singer feels fulfilled that he chose to be a soldier in the Lord’s kingdom.
The fulfilment has been strengthened following the overwhelming success of his ‘Kofi Owusu Peprah Live’ concert held at the Cedar Mountain Chapel, East Legon in Accra on Sunday, August 17.  
The event featured performances by Luigi Maclean, Cindy Thompson, Bernard Twumasi, Harmonious Chorale among a host of other budding Gospel artistes.
In a conversation with the Daily Graphic on Tuesday, August 19, he drew parallels between his former job and his ministry. 
“While on stage on Sunday, many things ran through my mind because of the sacrifices I had made, including resigning from my professional job as NIB agent.”
“As a young married man with a family, it wasn’t easy but with the power of passion and purpose, the story has turned around beautifully. I saw the look of fulfilment on the faces of patrons and I was satisfied to ride on this path. Arresting souls for God through music has become my new mission,” he added.

Turning point
Quitting his job wasn’t the first time Kofi lived by the popular saying, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’.
Back at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he had his university education, the ‘Amen’ singer was a known bass guitarist. However, he realised little value was placed on his skills and he didn’t get the chance to play much at school functions.
The reason, in the words of Kofi Owusu Peprah, “there were many students who played the bass guitar better than I did’. Determined to be useful in the scheme of affairs nonetheless, he opted to be a singer and that certainly was Kofi’s best decision and today, he is holding his own in the Gospel music industry.
With the firm belief that his late father, Rev. George Owusu Mensah’s coaching and influence have been very impactful on his flourishing music ministry, he did a rendition of his father’s song, ‘Matwen’ and titled it ‘The Father’s Gift’ in his honour.
Since then, Kofi has come out with other songs including ‘Amen’, ‘Big God’, ‘Ruach Hakodesh’, ‘Nyame Tumfo’, and a Worship Medley which are all doing well after his debut, ‘Yesu Nyame Ba’ in 2018.

Financial gains 
With his popularity steadily rising, Kofi has caught the attention of event organisers, who are featuring him on programmes. 
Interestingly, in the last few years, there have been differing opinions on paying performance fees for Gospel artistes.
When Daily Graphic asked of his opinion, he didn’t take sides but called on event organisers to prioritise fair compensation and logistics. 
This, he said, would enable musicians to adequately pay their support teams and ensure a sustainable music industry.
 “We have not been called to make money out of it. My plea is that as Christians, we shouldn’t be so set on how much one should be paid at a function. A number of things come into play. It is not a one-size-fits-all affair. For instance, you need to consider the size of the church among others. 
“Let’s not be so strict; it’s not cast in stone. If you had to put a charge on the message of the cross, how much would it be? You can’t put a price on the cross,” he said.

Family
Kofi Owusu Peprah was born to Rev. George Owusu Mensah and Mrs Bernice Owusu Mensah in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. He is the third of five children. He has two older sisters and two younger brothers.
 He is married to Barbara Ama Asantewaa Mensah, a fashion designer.
Kofi had his primary and junior high school (JHS) education at Grace Baptist Church in Kumasi. He then moved to Kumasi Anglican Secondary School (Great Akass) and had his university education at KNUST where he read Agriculture Mechanisation and graduated in  2014.
During his time on campus, he served as the Music Director of both the National Union of Baptist Students and University Mass Choir. In 2016, he enrolled for a Diploma in Church Music at the Ghana Baptist University College.
Growing up in a pastor’s house meant he did not have the luxury of feeding on just any sort of music, movies or other forms of media. He listened to a lot of songs from Ron Kenoly, Don Moen, Hosanna Music, Integrity Music among others and Kofi believes this greatly influenced the person he is today.
“I really never planned to learn or do music; it just happened. I found myself doing it and it worked anytime I did it. Maybe I was born a musician but didn’t discover that part of me until my university days.”
He admonished his colleagues in the Gospel fraternity not to compete among themselves. According to him, their core duty hinged on “telling the Good News” to people through music.
“As Gospel musicians, we need to turn a blind eye to competition because we are on the same mission of the great commission. At the end of the day, we carry one message which is the salvation of Jesus Christ,” he stated.