Kouame Koulibaly

The Volta regional Chairman of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Anthony  Komla Dagbey, better  known as Tony D has said fortunes of the union in the region have improved since he assumed office in 2016 and can get better if members remain united and focused.

Tony D is going unopposed in the upcoming MUSIGA national and regional elections scheduled for August 8. MUSIGA elections should have been held in June 2019 for new officers to be inaugurated in August 2019 but protracted internal squabbles had not made that impossible till now.

In the regional chairman’s view, communities and organisations thrive on harmony among members and that was why he would push ahead with doing what was best for MUSIGA in the Volta Region despite the known diversionary moves by some individuals.

He said he would continue to work hard for music and MUSIGA in the region and won’t allow himself to be distracted by naysayers.

Recounting some of his achievements since assuming office, Tony D indicated that it had been through his efforts that the union now has a furnished, presentable office in the premises of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) at Ho, the regional capital.

He added that one of the next tasks ahead of the union is to put up a permanent office at Adonai Estates, the plot for which was donated by the management of the real estate company at the launch of a compilation album of songs by Volta Region musicians initiated by his regime. 

Two compilation albums - Volta Music Project and Stars of Volta On Parade featuring Agboti Yao- have been released by Tony D’s administration to help it raise funds for music-related projects in the region.

“The compilation albums have caught the attention of some influential personalities in the region who have bought into the idea of using music as a key tool for different forms of development in the region. We haven’t met all the objectives set in that direction but we are pushing on,” Tony D pointed out.

He said many people applauded the Volta for Peace concerts spearheaded by MUSIGA to help promote peaceful and credible voting during the nation’s last general elections and the union would continue to seek ways to entrench rapport among various sections of the society during his next term of office.

According to Tony D, he had mobilised his Tosh TV and Tosh FM stations at costs to himself, to supplement several MUSIGA-related programmes in the region due to his conviction that music is a powerful tool to help bring about positive change in society.

He appealed to MUSIGA members in the region to check on their registration status and pay up the necessary dues to enable them vote on August 8 since only registered, paid-up members would be eligible to vote. 

On the national front, Bessa Simons, Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi and Deborah Freeman are competing to be President of MUSIGA.