MUSIGA Joins ECOBANK, UNDP, World Bank To Provide Digital Infrastructure

In an effort to promote and enhance the internal and external marketing of Ghanaian music, the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has sought the assistance from various partners to build a robust digital portal which will be launched in January 2012.

With the support from the Norwegian Copyright Organisation, a digital library process is far advanced with over five thousand (5,000) songs already digitized.

In a New Year message which also marked 100 days in office of the MUSIGA President, Bice Osei Kuffuor, he explained MUSIGA was collaborating with ECOBANK, World Bank Ghana office and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the area of capacity building to design a new internet portal which will serve as a platform for reference and marketing of MUSIGA and digitized Ghanaian music.

He explained when the facility was completed, “we will see a new MUSIGA website and new internet portal to serve as a platform for promoting MUSIGA, the industry and more importantly for marketing Ghanaian music globally”.

He expressed gratitude to ECOBANK and all partners for their continuous interest in the Ghanaian Music Industry and invited all music right owners to submit their songs at any MUSIGA office nationwide for digitization.

President Obour said the Union was also working with other stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the industry copyright challenges through the establishment of a new collective management organization (GHAMRO) latest by the first quarter 2012.

“As we close the chapter on the year 2011 and approach the New Year, we wish all Ghanaians especially our dear musicians a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Let us continue in the spirit of oneness as a nation and a people in achieving a common goal of peace, unity and development”.

Recounting the achievements of the new MUSIGA executive, Obour said the last quarter of 2011 will forever remain in the annals of Ghanaian Music Industry as being historic as the union got its first youthful leader.

He said many young musicians who for decades did not feel they belonged to the union have changed their perceptions. He said the US$100,000 donation from Dr Kofi Amoah and the allocation of GH¢2m from the government’s budget are all memorable success in the forward march of the union.

“All these historic events happening in the industry within the first 100 Days in office of Obour as President speak volumes of the quality of leadership and faith industry players and other stakeholders have in the New MUSIGA”. “We have a four-year mandate to serve the many expectant musicians of this country. That is a lot of time and we cannot afford to fail,” Obour said.

He said many more musicians and artistes continue to live below the poverty line and that very weak administrative and management structures coupled with lack of appropriate human resource to manage specific professional requirements as a result of financial constraints, as well as low level of collaboration among relevant sister and affiliate bodies are some of his targets to eliminate.

“We shall endeavor to make assiduous efforts in the New Year to move beyond these challenges, and wish to make a special appeal to all and sundry to come along and join hands to lift high our music industry together”.

To ensure prudent and transparent financial administration and management of the Union, a qualified chattered accountant has been employed to administer the Union funds. Plans are far advance to engage the services of a major auditing firm to add more efficiency to the Unions financial management. This is being done to improve financial, programmatic and institutional sustainability of the Union, he said.

He said within the first quarter of 2012 the Union will organise regional elections in all the ten regions of Ghana and asked all prospective voters to start signing up for the new registration and re-registration exercise to gain eligibility to vote for their preferred candidates.

Source: Graphic Showbiz