Celebrated Ghanaian gospel musician, ACP Kofi Sarpong, has shared a personal account of his early struggles. In an interview on The Career Trail on Joy TV, he revealed that he had to sell kenkey to support his education.
“I started preparing the kenkey around age 13. I prepared it till secondary school, Form 5, because I needed to help myself,” he shared. ACP Kofi Sarpong further revealed that his educational journey was far from smooth.
He recounted how he had to drop out of school multiple times, simply because his family couldn’t afford to pay his fees.
–ACP Kofi Sarpong Photo Credit: ACP Kofi Sarpong“I had to stop school several times because we couldn’t afford the fees. I was also someone who was very afraid of canes, so rather than face punishment, I dropped out”, he said.He also reflected on the dreams he held as a child. He revealed that his initial ambition was to become a teacher, a dream inspired by his deep love for children.
However, pursuing that dream wasn’t easy. His mother, a cook who earned only a meagre income, bore the burden of providing for the entire household. The financial strain made it nearly impossible to afford a consistent education.
Despite the odds, he made a personal vow to never give up on his education. “So one time, I sat down and told myself that if I wanted to be a teacher, I would have to go to school. So I decided to help myself, and I started preparing kenkey,” he said. What started as a necessity soon became a skill he mastered. “There is no kenkey I can’t prepare, from the Ga kenkey to the Fante kenkey and all the other types,” he shared with a proud smile.
Reflecting on his time in secondary school, ACP Kofi Sarpong described himself as a true jack of all trades. “Back in school, I was involved in almost every activity, from drama to music, and anything that brought students together. I participated in everything,” he recalled.
“At that time, in the house, you could decide whether to go to school or not. Because the little that we were all sharing , if one person decided not to go, it helped the rest. But I made a decision to help myself”, “I never gave up because I had an aim,” he said with quiet conviction.
Then came an unexpected twist in his journey. “When the opportunity to join the police came, I initially wanted to decline,” he admitted. But life, once again, had other plans. “Eventually, I joined.” That decision marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Through it all, the struggles, sacrifices, and unexpected turns ACP Kofi Sarpong never lost sight of his faith. “In all these things, God proved that He was faithful to me,” he said, his voice filled with gratitude. For him, every step of the journey, from the kenkey pots to the police uniform, from dropping out of school to standing on stage as a gospel musician was guided by divine grace.
Source: GhanaMusic
