President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has stressed the need for Ghanaians to cherish and support their own musicians in the face of stiff regional, continental and global competition.
He believes this is the best way to boost their morale to give out their best whilst alive.
The president disclosed this when he launched the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund (AMWeF) at the annual Presidential Ball put together by the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) over the weekend.
That, he said, is because “every aspect of Ghanaian life tells an imaginative story; we tell stories through our fabric, every kente design has a narrative, every Dumas cloth has a name, our crafts, music, film and festivals all tell stories about our lives and our beliefs.”
“Government will support and enforce anti-piracy laws for the industry to protect you our musicians,” he stated.
Apart from that, he assured that “in 2018, we will, amongst others, continue with initiatives to improve the creative arts sector with a set-up of a fully functional Creative Arts Secretariat and the commencement of feasibility to set up a Creative Arts Fund, all under the leadership of that dynamic woman, Honourable Catherine Afeku, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture.”
“We have a lot to tell the world; ours is a captivating story and we can make it the success story of the continent if not the world” because he believes
that music plays an important part in human lives.
As a man who believes that Ghana has an abundance of talents that can be nurtured to compete on the world stage, he could not but promised that “we will give the music industry the boost it needs to reach its potential.”
President Akufo-Addo has since asked Ghanaians to be generous in their support of the country’s ageing musician because “they deserve dignified retirements.”
He paid glowing tribute to the legends for their contribution towards Ghanaian music.
MUSIGA used the opportunity to honour five of the country’s living legends like A.B Crentsil, Oboaba J.A Adofo, Jewel Ackah, C.K Mann and Nana Kwame Ampadu.
Each of them took home an amount of GH¢ 10,000 and a plaque containing a citation commending them for their great works and contributions towards the development of Ghanaian music industry.
Souvenirs of some of these great legends were, therefore, auctioned for sale to serve as seed money for the AMWeF, which was launched together with the ‘The Future Project Artiste’ and ‘The Play More GH Music’.
Touched by the plight of these living legends, businessman and Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyepong, who is noted for his benevolence, has since offered to give each of these five living legends an amount of GH¢ 5, 000 month until death comes calling.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent