Veteran Highlife musician Akosua Agyapong has prayed upon the office of the Attorney General to take action and shut down Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), citing the illegality of the interim management committee’s operations.
Akosua Agyapong who spoke to Graphic Showbiz highlighted that the interim management committee, led by her former friend and band member, Rex Omar as Chairman, was functioning without legal backing as their mandate lacked support from any law.
According to the ‘Frema’ hitmaker, GHAMRO’s license had not been renewed by the office of the Attorney General due to ongoing legal tussles.
She revealed that some individuals had taken the interim management committee to court, and the judge had ruled that they step down for new elections to be conducted.
“The good office of the Attorney General hasn’t renewed GHAMRO’s licence due to court issues. Some of our people actually took the interim management committee to court and the judge asked them to step down for new elections to be held,” she revealed
However, despite this, no elections have taken place, and Rex Omar and his team continue to oversee the organization without any legal authority.
Akosua Agyapong argued that the interim management committee’s license was not renewed because they failed to fulfil the three requirements set by the Mediation Board, which included amending the constitution, conducting an audit of accounts, and holding elections.
“But before that, a Mediation Board led by Madam Esi Sutherland-Addy was instituted and they asked us to do three things—amend our constitution, conduct an audit of our accounts and hold elections,” she noted
Adding that “However, as of this time, no elections have been held and we have Rex Omar and his team still manning affairs without any legal mandate. My argument is that the Interim Management or board’s licence was not renewed because we didn’t fulfil all the three requirements by the Mediation Board.”
Akosua Agyapong expressed her disappointment at critics who reduced her stance to a personal attack against Rex Omar, emphasizing that she was merely advocating for the proper procedures to be followed.
“When I talk, people think that I’m just making empty claims and unfounded allegations but they don’t know that I’m taking my information from GHAMRO’s 2021 annual report sent to members,” she highlighted.
GHAMRO, as a collective management organization (CMO), is mandated by its constitution to allocate 10% of the received royalties for the welfare of musicians, although it is not a welfare group.
Akosua Agyaong referred to GHAMRO’s 2021 annual report, which stated that the funds allocated for musicians’ welfare were not reaching those in dire need.
She pointed out that the report revealed that the committee managing the funds received GH₵72,000 annually, while musicians in need did not receive adequate assistance.
Furthermore, the same report highlighted that the interim management committee spent GH₵132,000 on refreshments and sitting allowances, despite only meeting four times a year.
“At the moment, it is required that GHAMRO uses 10 per cent of its money received as royalties for the welfare of musicians. From the 2021 report, those who are managing the fund are paid GH₵72,000 annually; yet, members in dire need don’t get assistance,” she hammered.
