The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation, GHAMRO, Jackson Brefo, has said that the organisation has developed a five year strategic plan aimed at improving its operations and service delivery to rights owners.

Speaking in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, he said the plan is designed to ensure music rights owners receive better services and stronger representation.

“We are positioning GHAMRO to be the best collective management organisation in Africa,” he said.

In line with this vision, Mr Brefo disclosed that plans are far advanced to allow members who belong to foreign collective management organisations to receive their royalties directly from those bodies.

“If you are a member of PRS, you are not mandated to take your royalties in GHAMRO. And this is the international practice. Why we are going to do is that your money is going to be paid to PRS,” he stated.

He further revealed that the organisation’s leadership recently met to map out the strategic direction for the next five years.

“The management met on 5th and 6th January to draw a 5-year strategic plan that the organisation is going to follow up,” he said.

As part of the reforms, Mr Brefo said GHAMRO will strengthen its engagement with members and stakeholders.

“Every quarter, GHAMRO is going to engage every stakeholder in what we call GHAMRO Webinar Series,” he added.

The GHAMRO CEO also warned that music users who fail to honour their royalty obligations will face strict sanctions, including being named and prosecuted when necessary. 

He added that management is moving the organisation’s operations onto digital platforms, departing from the previously manual systems.

GHAMRO is mandated to license users of music, collect royalties on behalf of composers, authors, publishers and other rights owners, and distribute those royalties fairly, while protecting and promoting the rights of its members both locally and internationally.