ACE highlife musician Nana Tuffour, whose music has gone down well with a large number of music lovers in Ghana and abroad, has declared that the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) required the services of knowledgeable persons who had the welfare of its members at heart, to handle the affairs of the music industry to generate job opportunities for musicians.

He said the current state of the music industry required the harnessing of skills and knowledge of all the industry players to take Ghanaian music to a desired level.

The 57-year-old highlife musician, who has the support of a large number of musicians, said the music industry, which had a great future, could contribute immensely toward the socio-economic development of the country.

Outlining some of his plans for the music industry, Nana Tuffour said he would put in place structures that would help streamline the operations of the union.

According to him, one of his programmes drafted for the union was to upgrade the skills of the musicians through seminars and workshops.

He would also put in place measures that would monitor the activities of both CDs and cassette sellers and retailers in the country in order to check the increasing rate of piracy in the country.

He explained that one of his primary priorities was to fight piracy, which had bankrupted most Ghanaian musicians, adding that he would work hand in hand with the law enforcement agencies in the country to track down all those who were behind the illegal act.

He disclosed that when voted into power, his administration would promote transparency as well as always involve the members of the union in decision making.

Explaining further, Nana Tuffour said the union would organise a number of musical concerts to create employment for the musicians in the country.

He noted that when voted into office as MUSIGA president, he would open accounts for all the members of the union, into which royalties from the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) would be paid. “I will create more jobs for the musicians, put in place basic logistic in all the regional offices and also make sure workers at union offices are paid their regular salaries,” he whispered.