On April 4th 2023 Sona Jobarteh was awarded an honorary PHD Doctorate in Music from the premier institute of music and the performing arts Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Sona Jobarteh was officially hooded by the president of Berklee Dr. Erica Muhl president at her inauguration ceremony. Dr Muhl delivered a powerful speech honouring Dr. Jobarteh's work and career, saying "Sona embodies our best aspirations as a community. Consummate artistry, innovative composition, stellar production, original scholarship, humanitarian activism, mastery and expansion of great musical traditions. Not to mention a ground-breaking, world changing career."