GHAMRO grappling with licence renewal setback

Addressing the media, veteran highlife singer Rex Omar, who is the chairman of the body’s interim management committee, said the organisation would be unable to distribute any royalties until the licence was renewed. This follows a 17 May letter from the Copyright Office requesting GHAMRO to adopt a report by the Efua Sutherland Committee. The report’s recommendations include a new constitution, a forensic audit of the organisation and a suspension of ongoing GHAMRO court cases. It also calls for the dissolved election committee to conduct new elections.

Rex Omar emphasised that GHAMRO had fulfilled all the necessary licence renewal requirements outlined in Section 24 of the Copyright Legislative Instrument. He also clarified that despite the non-renewal of the licence, GHAMRO still possessed the authority to collect music royalties. He highlighted the distinction between collecting and distributing royalties, saying that GHAMRO would continue to collect royalties as mandated by law until the licence is renewed.

Rex Omar said GHAMRO had already submitted all the necessary documentation for licence renewal in June 2022 and had fulfilled the required conditions.

GHAMRO has faced regular public criticism about its management practices, including accusations of financial malfeasance, notably from veteran highlife musician Akosua Adjepong.

Expressing his disappointment, Rex Omar highlighted the nearly completed Attorney General Department’s roadmap, with only one pending case, and questioned why GHAMRO was being asked to revisit the recommendations of the Efua Sutherland Committee.

The setback comes after a series of governance challenges faced by GHAMRO. In July 2022, the High Court in Accra nullified the elections that the collective management organisation held on 15 May 2022, which resulted in the dissolution of the Rex Omar-led board. The court ruling cited GHAMRO’s disregard for an interlocutory injunction granted before the elections, which aimed to address concerns raised by aggrieved GHAMRO members.

Following the dissolution, a five-member interim directorate was appointed to lead GHAMRO. This interim team, consisting of Augustina Addison, Abraham Kofi Boakye, Diana Hopeson, Ahmed Banda and Rex Omar, mirrors the previous leadership structure of the organisation.

GHAMRO’s woes also include an injunction sought by GHAMRO members regarding last year’s elections after an interim board was appointed in April 2021, which they claimed violated the organisation’s constitution. The defendants in the lawsuit included GHAMRO, Abraham Nuetey Adjetey, Augustina Addison, Aziz Haruna, Kwabena Donkor, Eric Afriyie, and Seth Kwaku Amponsah.