CAA, Expertise France sign MoU to expand music industry
The Creative Arts Agency (CAA) and Expertise France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to undertake a project aimed at expanding the music industry in the country.
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The project, Creation Africa-Ghana, is funded by the French government through the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Ministry of Economy, with a grant of €500,000.
The objective of the project is to promote a good economic model and make artistic careers more accessible and credible while promoting Ghana's artistic heritage.
It would target young people and support the social and economic inclusion of all actors in the sector who participate in music production.
Project
The two-year project will, among others, enable the transfer of skills, access to the global copyright market by Ghanaian rights holders and the development of businesses between the music industries of the two countries.
Specific components of the project included support to structuring the music industry sector, ensuring remuneration and protection for persons who create and/or produce their works.
Others included a plan to create venues for the dissemination of music and innovating and developing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in music festivals between France and Ghana.
Agreement
The project followed the commitment from the two countries to develop partnerships with entrepreneurs in the music sector.
The Chief Executive of CAA, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, expressed her excitement for the partnership and hoped that the country would get to a point where players in the music industry would have ownership of their works.
She said the agreement was part of efforts to professionalise the creative industry platform and make it more habitable for artists to produce, sell and own their work.
She said it was also a step towards digitising the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) and offering workshops to build the capacities of the creative arts industry on copyright.
“Our main purpose within the CAA is to promote visibility, to educate and to protect, and the agreement is a step towards protecting our music industry,” she said.
She expressed the hope that the agreement would have a ripple effect on the industry, in terms of how artists are paid and how royalties are collected and dispersed.
Co-constructive project
The French Ambassador, Jules-Armand Aniambossou, also expressed his excitement that the co-constructive project would benefit the two countries by stimulating the private sector in the music industry.
“These efforts have been fruitful and have led to collaborations between French and Ghanaian artists, concerts associating French and Ghanaian artists in Accra and Paris and, finally, a dialogue on the collective management of copyright in Ghana.
“It shows the will of both France and Ghana to renew their relationship, and will be followed by a project called Creation Africa-Ghana to support young entrepreneurs in the Cultural and Creative Industries,” he added.
The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC), Mark Okraku-Mantey, stated that the creative arts industry if treated well, would generate enough revenue for the country to survive economically.
“The Creative Arts Law demonstrates that the country is ready to regulate the industry; the agreement is, therefore, timely,” he noted.
He urged the creative arts industry to collaborate with the parties for the project, stating that the implementation of the project would help sanitise the industry in terms of copyright.
He promised that the CAA and MoTAC would play their part in the agreement to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
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