Musicians Union of Ghana launches COVID-19 campaign

The drive, held in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Information, the National Commission on Culture (NCC), UNESCO, and the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), seeks to augment the government’s initiatives in curbing the pandemic.

MUSIGA says the campaign comprises the release of a song, music video and video messages by various Ghanaian artists via local media. Featured artists include Kofi Kinaata, Celestine Donkor, Pat Thomas and Amandzeba. The rest are Adane Best and Samuel Kofi Agyemang.

“The campaign began with support from the Ministry of Information to record the song, music video and messages, and UNESCO helped us to finish the recordings and publicise the material,” acting MUSIGA president Bessa Simons said.

NCC executive director Janet Edna Nyame said: “The support from UNESCO to the commission and our affiliated organisations to combat the ravages of COVID-19 is indeed very welcome. There is the need to educate our people on how to prevent the virus from spreading.”

Ghana is among the first countries to implement the UNESCO-ECOWAS joint support initiative, according to UNESCO’s representative in Ghana, Abdourahamane Diallo.

Meanwhile, the country received the world’s first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the UN-backed COVAX initiative two weeks ago. The 600 000 vaccines form part of an “initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, which represent part of the first wave of COVID vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries,” according to a joint statement by UNICEF representative in Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay and World Health Organisation representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo.

There are about 47 000 active COVID-19 cases in Ghana and 656 deaths, according to the Ghana Health Service. In January, President Akufo-Addo announced that the government was reinstating a ban on a number of public functions, including concerts, theatrical performances, weddings and parties as part of stricter measures to curb a spike in COVID-19 cases.