The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has honoured Alhaji Sidiku Buari, immediate past President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, for his meritorious contribution to the development of music in Africa. The awards ceremony took place in South Africa as part of the annual congress of the federation. In a citation accompanying the award, the federation described Alhaji Buari as a dedicated and committed musician who helped tremendously in transforming the music industry in Africa. The President of the Federation and General Secretary of the British Musicians Union, Mr John Smith, recognised Alhaji Buari for the initiative during his term of office which provided opportunities for musicians unions in Africa to get maximum benefits from FIM with regard to capacity building. He said through Alhaji Sidiku Buari's encouragement, today musicians in Ghana and Nigeria are enjoying duty free on some imported musical instruments. Mr Smith said Alhaji Buari could also be credited for the re-emergence of live-band music in many African countries. For his part, Alhaji Buari thanked members of the federation for the honour done him, saying he will never forget the occasion. He was full of praise for the executive of the Federation through whose efforts and encouragement as chairman, he was able to steer the affairs of the African Committee of the Federation. Alhaji Buari urged African countries to lobby their governments for the development of Copyright Laws. This, he said, was the only way they could fight piracy which was a canker to the music industry. Source: The Mirror