No more bickering and disunity - Diana

Accra, Nov 24, GNA - Mrs. Diana Hopeson, the newly elected President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), on Friday swore to ensure that the bickering and disunity that had plagued the union in the past became a thing of the past under her presidency.

She told the Ghana News Agency that so many opportunities for progress had either passed by Ghanaian musicians or had been delayed because the international community had qualms about the Ghanaian music industry due to the protracted bickering and in-fighting in the sector over the years.

"As we speak now there is for instance a World Bank facility waiting for us to access to fund our productions and boost our earnings but because of the disunity among other things we are unable to access those funds," she said

Mrs. Hopeson therefore called on all musicians in the country to bury their differences and put their weight behind the leadership of the union to boost the image of the industry on the international scene and thereby win investor confidence.

In the run up to the MUSIGA congress that elected Diana unopposed as president, Gyedu Blay Ambuley, one of Ghana's giants musicians was in the media accusing the MUSIGA national executive of conspiring to sabotage his efforts to be the president.

Ambuley was later disqualified on grounds of non-payment of dues, but he insisted that as past Vice President of MUSIGA he was exempted from payment of dues.

Mrs. Hopeson said, "now the elections are over and we need to bury the hatchet and embrace the available opportunities to move to the next level.

"We have been denied what we deserve from this industry for far too long and I will not allow seeds of disunity hinder our progress." She said as new president she was willing to extend a hand of friendship to all musicians in the country, with the view of unifying the front of the union to ensure progress.

Citing the soon to be established Copyright Investment Bank (CIB), she said the establishment of the bank was long over due because of the bickering and disunity in the past "but no more".