GHAMRO partners WIPO for managerial workshop

As part of measures by the new executives led by ace music gem, Kojo Antwi to reshape and strengthen the activities of the Ghana Music Right Organisation, (GHAMRO), to the benefit of right owners, they have partnered an international firm, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a workshop improve their managerial skills.

This was as a result of an agreement between GHAMRO and WIPO to send a special training mission to Ghana to assist GHAMRO officials develop and train its staff for the challenging task ahead.

The team would be led by Mr Leon Van Wyk, a special consultant with WIPO.

The week long workshop, which commences today, thus Monday, August 10 and ends on Friday, 14, would be aimed at revising and establishing of new regimes and systems for Licensing, documentation and distribution.

There would be a meeting with the Board and management of GHAMRO, where good governance, best practices and general policy will be discussed.

The move is in line with GHAMRO’s two-year development plan, set by the new executives.

WIPO, with the level of confidence reposed in the new managers of the organization had earlier sent an IT consultant in the person of Mr. Boukary Sawadogo to GHAMRO in installing and training staff on the new software to enhance the execution of the responsibility.

The initiative has provided GHAMRO with an effective and efficient database system to handle its documentation.

In this regard, GHAMRO has managed to capture particulars of about 2,700 members, updated the profile of 1,057 of about 3,746 that were in the list of register as members.

GHAMRO has also captured about 10,775 works of its members into the WIPOCOS system, developing a tariff structure for the various music uses such as broadcasting, live performances, hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shopping malls, banks, stores, drinking spots, offices, etc.

This structures immensely contributed to the completion of the very first distribution to members in two years.

Coupled with the determination to make the lives of right owners comfortable, the Chairman of GHAMRO, Kojo Antwi was earlier in the year invited to attend an international forum of collecting societies in Norway, where representatives from each country shared their development plans and projects and the timelines to complete the said programmes.

The leader of the WIPO team, Mr. Van Wyk, also a consultant from WIPO, is not new to collecting society management, he worked with the South African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO), for many years.

He was also in charge of their membership (Documentation) department, later went through the various departments.

He was instrumental in setting up of a foundation to develop young and talented musicians in South Africa.

He was also instrumental in overhauling the licensing operations of SAMRO.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme