Seal Ghana's involvement in Grammy Africa initiative — Stonebwoy urges government

Renowned Ghanaian dancehall artiste Stonebwoy has expressed concern over Ghana risking being left out of the Recording Academy's Grammy Africa initiative if the government does not seal an agreement to make Ghana a founding member.

In a social media post on Friday, June 28, Stonebwoy noted that the Recording Academy's expansion into Africa is similar to the creation of the Latin Grammys to support music creators in Latin America.

However, the reigning TGMAs Artiste of the Year lamented that while Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa have all paid and finalized agreements, Ghana risks becoming "another mockery case" of being left out.

"The big question is WHY NOT GHANA??? CAN GOV'T NOT RAISE THE MONEY??? CAN GOV'T ASK PRIVATE SEC TO HELP RAISE THE MONEY?? IS IT NOT IMPORTANT BE A PART OF THIS?” Stonebwoy wrote.

As reported in the Recording Academy's recent announcement, the organization is embarking on efforts to extend its global support for music creators through collaborations with key stakeholders across Africa and the Middle East.

Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have only signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Academy so far, while Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others have finalized agreements to be founding members.

Being a founding member affords numerous benefits including advocacy support for music creators, capacity building programs, intellectual property protections, and fueling Africa's music economy.

It will also provide a platform to promote Ghana's rich musical heritage and emerging talents to a global audience.