'We tried to fix the system but resistance came from within' - Dada Hafco on GHAMRO royalty payment

Ghanaian highlife artiste Dada Hafco has reignited the debate around the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), sharing his account of failed attempts to reform a system that disadvantages musicians.

In 2020/2021, an Alliance was formed to fix GHAMRO and improve royalty collection and distribution. They engaged foreign entities to assist with digitization, but faced resistance from within GHAMRO.

Dada Hafco claims certain individuals opposed digitisation because a broken system serves their interests. He alleges some companies tried to correct issues but were blocked by GHAMRO. The Alliance engaged GHAMRO directly, discovering obvious loopholes that had been exploited. A meeting exposed internal problems, with disagreements among officials degenerating into open arguments.

The group formally wrote to the Attorney General's office, hoping for intervention, but received no response. They later worked with the Akosua Agyapong-led Unicom GHAMRO group, learning the Attorney General had established a mediation committee to oversee elections and restructuring. Dada Hafco questioned why some GHAMRO board members earned more than practicing musicians, turning key figures against him.

Despite mediation efforts, GHAMRO allegedly compromised procedures during elections. Dada Hafco believes the industry's biggest weakness is apathy, with musicians only becoming vocal when the buzz is gone and money dries up. He stresses that until musicians collectively push for reform, the GHAMRO crisis will continue.

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