Nana Kwame Bediako, widely known as Cheddar, the leader of the New Force Movement, made a powerful statement during the launch of the party’s manifesto, emphasizing the need to protect and empower Ghana’s content creators.

Cheddar outlined his vision for the future, focusing on the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights and the establishment of infrastructure to support creative industries in the country.

Cheddar highlighted the shortcomings of the current system, stating, “Royalties are not being effectively collected because we didn’t even build the machine. Today, the New Force has decided to build the right machine for pushing the Publishing Act that protects the IP of our content creators.”

He stressed the importance of safeguarding the rights of various creators, including bloggers, influencers, YouTubers, authors, painters, musicians, and software developers.

“We have to protect it, we have to claim the royalties, and we have to make sure that it’s circulating in our economy because they are part of us,” Cheddar continued, underlining the need for artists to maintain ownership of their catalogues, preventing them from being sold for patents.

In addition to IP protection, Cheddar proposed the construction of a world-class studio in Ghana, envisioning it as a hub for African creativity. “Ghana is the Black Star of Africa; this studio needs to be in Ghana. We need to build that studio,” he asserted, positioning the country as a leader in the creative arts on the continent.

Cheddar’s manifesto launch marks a bold step forward for the New Force Movement, placing creative industries at the forefront of the party’s agenda. The proposed initiatives aim to not only protect content creators’ rights but also to bolster Ghana’s economy by ensuring that royalties and creative outputs benefit the nation directly.