NDC promises reform for Creatives’ intellectual property royalties
Rex Omar, a renowned highlife musician and the lead for creatives within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has reiterated his party’s commitment to reforming the management of intellectual property rights for Ghanaian creatives. Speaking at Joy FM’s Manifesto Debate on the Creative Economy, Omar addressed the flaws in the current royalty system, emphasizing the need for legislative reform to ensure fair compensation.
Omar criticized the existing system, which he described as defective due to the absence of a clear legal framework that dictates specific royalty payments for intellectual property. He explained that the current flat-rate model fails to account for the actual usage of music, leading to inadequate compensation for creators. “The issue isn’t with the collective management organizations themselves but with the enforcement of fair payment practices,” Omar told host Kwame Dadzie. He added, “There is no law that stipulates how much every music user (e.g., media houses) must pay based on the duration of the music used. For example, if Multimedia has played 100,000 minutes of music, there’s no specific rate that dictates how much they should pay. We are currently using a flat rate, which does not reflect the true value of the music played.”
Omar assured that the NDC is prepared to address these issues by introducing legislation to regulate royalty payments more effectively. “If elected, the NDC will implement a clear and detailed legal framework that specifies how much music users must pay based on usage. This is the standard practice worldwide,” Omar stated.
The debate, part of the 5th edition of Joy FM’s Showbiz Roundtable, provided a platform for discussing these critical issues. The NDC was represented by Sadiq Abdullai Abu, the parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi Central, and Rex Owusu Marfo, a member of the NDC Manifesto Committee. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) was represented by Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, and Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority.
The copyright management of Ghana’s creative sector is currently overseen by three collective management organizations: Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO), Audiovisual Rights Society of Ghana (ARSOG), and CopyGhana, which handles literary rights. Despite these organizations’ efforts, many creatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the current system, citing issues such as inadequate royalty payments and inefficient management. The ongoing debate reflects broader concerns within the creative community about the need for systemic reform to ensure that intellectual property rights are adequately protected and compensated. Omar’s statements underscore the NDC’s commitment to addressing these concerns if they come to power, promising a future where Ghanaian creatives receive fair recognition and compensation for their work.
