I have spent over 25 years in Ghana’s music industry. That is not a cameo appearance. That is a full album, a deluxe edition and two remasters.
In that time, I have worked with record labels and top-tier management teams. I have handled promotion, business development and executive leadership. For two decades, I have also engaged government at the highest levels on music policy and industry development. I have sat in air-conditioned boardrooms where PowerPoint slides flowed like vintage wine and hope was poured generously.
My journey through the corridors of power began during the administration of John Evans Atta Mills. Under his leadership, government allocated GHc 2M to support the industry through Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).
It felt historic.
That allocation was not just funding. It was validation. It said music was not noise. It was infrastructure. It was not vibes. It was value.
Part of that investment funded research with KPMG, which proposed structural reforms including the establishment of a Creative Arts Council. The idea was bold: build a proper framework for regulation, funding, export promotion and intellectual property protection. In short, stop running the industry like a talent show and start running it like an economy.
Then came the encore.
Grand visions. Elegant presentations. Executive summaries with glossy covers.
No sustained implementation.
The Industry of Talkers
If ideas alone could stream, Ghana would have gone triple platinum.
Over the years, I have heard brilliant proposals:– “Let’s build a Ghanaian streaming platform.– “Let’s fix royalty collection.– “Let’s create touring circuits.– “Let’s dominate the diaspora.”
Every idea gets applause.Every forum gets selfies.
But applause is not policy. And policy without execution is poetry.
We have mastered diagnosis. We can identify every problem in the industry with surgical precision. But when it comes to treatment, we stop at the prescription and frame it on the wall.
Why?
Because implementation is not glamorous. It requires structure, political will and measurable targets. It requires bipartisan support so projects survive election cycles. It requires industry players to choose collaboration over camp politics.
Execution is not sexy. It is discipline. And discipline is not our favourite genre.
The Global Music Economy Ghana Is Missing
Globally, music is not just culture. It is commerce.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reports that global recorded music revenues surpassed $26 billion in 2023, marking nearly a decade of steady growth driven by streaming. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one of the fastest-growing regions, clocking growth rates above 20 percent in recent years.
That is not pocket change. That is policy territory.
Look at Nigeria. Afrobeats has moved from local groove to global currency. Nigerian artistes headline festivals, sign multi-million dollar endorsements and ink global distribution deals. This did not happen by accident. It was powered by quality production, diaspora leverage, aggressive digital distribution and strategic global partnerships.
Meanwhile, Ghana — birthplace of Highlife and cultural co-architect of Afrobeats — is often watching from the sidelines while others commercialise variations of our sound at industrial scale.
The World Bank estimates that the creative economy contributes up to 3 percent of global GDP and employs millions of young people. In a country where youth unemployment is a national conversation, music is not a side hustle. It is a sleeping giant with studio headphones on.
Creative Arts Agency
The proposed Creative Arts Agency, born from the MUSIGA–KPMG research, was designed to professionalise the sector. Its mandate: data collection, funding coordination, export strategy and capacity building.
In other countries, this model works.
South Korea’s Korea Creative Content Agency helped transform K-Pop from regional phenomenon to global export powerhouse. The United Kingdom’s creative industries generate over £100 billion annually, backed by tax incentives, export support and coherent policy frameworks.
In Ghana, however, bureaucratic inertia and political transitions have pressed pause. Start-up bottlenecks, unclear funding streams and inconsistent leadership commitment have slowed what should have been a flagship institution.
Without institutional backbone, private investment feels like a gamble. Investors want clarity. Artistes want enforceable contracts. Managers want reliable data. Labels want predictable tax and royalty systems.
Hope is good. Structure is better.
The Intellectual Property Gap
Now let us talk royalties — the industry’s favourite ghost story.
Ghana has copyright laws. On paper, they look respectable. In practice, enforcement remains weak. Many artistes do not earn proportionately from radio airplay or public performances. Digital tracking systems are either underused or poorly integrated.
In countries where music thrives commercially, performance rights organisations operate with transparent digital monitoring systems. Data drives payments. Trust drives compliance.
If Ghana modernises copyright administration — through digital tracking, blockchain-based registration and cross-border licensing agreements — revenue leakage could shrink dramatically. Research across emerging markets suggests that improved enforcement can boost creative sector earnings by up to 30 percent within a few years.
Thirty percent.
That is not new money. That is money currently evaporating into thin air.
A Practical Roadmap (No More Conferences)
If we are serious, we need fewer symposiums and more systems.
1. Establish and properly fund the Creative Arts Agency
Give it legislative backing, independent governance and multi-year funding insulated from political mood swings.
2. Create a Music Export Office
Coordinate international showcases, trade missions and structured diaspora engagement.
3. Modernise Copyright Administration
Digitise royalty collection. Integrate broadcaster and streaming data. Publish transparent quarterly reports.
4. Incentivise Private Investment
Offer tax rebates for production, live infrastructure and international collaborations. Investors love predictability more than promises.
5. Build Industry Data Systems
Reliable numbers strengthen advocacy and attract development financing.
6. Develop Music Business Education
Talent without business literacy is a contract waiting to go wrong.
Beyond Lip Service
For 25 years, I have watched cycles of excitement rise and fall like seasonal hits. I have seen leadership transitions promise renewal. I have attended more stakeholder meetings than album listening sessions.
Here is the unfiltered truth: Ghana does not lack ideas. Ghana lacks disciplined execution.
Until industry leaders align around shared goals and government commits to structured implementation, we will continue rehearsing progress instead of performing it.
Other countries will refine genres rooted in our cultural heritage and build billion-dollar brands. We will applaud them enthusiastically — and then host another panel discussion about potential.
The music must move from conversation to construction.From rhetoric to regulation. From ambition to action.
In a world where culture travels faster than oil and data moves faster than gold, Ghana’s sound is not just rhythm.
It is revenue.
The studio lights are on.The microphones are live.The global audience is already streaming.
The only question left is this:
Are we finally ready to press record?
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh