Stakeholders in Ghana’s creative industry are calling for stronger intellectual property and copyright protection systems to ensure creators are adequately protected and fairly compensated for their work.
The call was made at a Cross Regional Forum on Intellectual Property and Music, dubbed the Afro Caribbean Creative Bridge, organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.
The forum brought together creative industry stakeholders to explore ways of strengthening intellectual property protection and deepening creative and cultural ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
Stronger copyright systems needed
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, called for more effective copyright management systems to ensure creatives receive financial benefits from their work.
She said stronger copyright protection would enable creatives to thrive in the global marketplace while creating opportunities for them to collaborate, work and move across borders.
“Too often, many of our creatives, at the end of their lives, have very little to show for what they have achieved, only because they stopped producing. But the music is being played all the time. Who is paying for that?” she asked.
Ms Gomashie also called for stronger cooperation between African and Caribbean countries to develop their respective creative industries and address common challenges facing creators.
Protecting Africa’s creative wealth
Musician and Ambassador for Africa, Rocky Dawuni, described Africa’s creative output as a significant asset that must be recognised and protected.
“Africa is a land of creativity. Our creativity defines who we are as a people, from our music to our food and culture,” he said.
He stressed the need for appropriate legal and institutional frameworks to protect creative works and ensure creators benefit from the economic value generated by their intellectual property.
WIPO pushes practical solutions
Carol Simpson, the WIPO officer responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, said the organisation was focused on developing practical solutions to help creators protect and benefit from their work.
“We’re really working from a very practical perspective, bringing experts here who can have discussions and come up with solutions in terms of how our creatives can better protect and benefit from their creativity,” she said.
The forum forms part of broader efforts to deepen collaboration between Africa and the Caribbean while addressing intellectual property challenges facing creatives as their works reach increasingly wider international audiences and markets.
For Ghana’s creative industry, the discussions highlight a longstanding concern over the ability of artistes and creators to capture the economic value of their work.
Music, films, designs and other creative products can continue generating revenue through streaming platforms, radio, events and international markets, while creators may receive limited returns without effective copyright administration, licensing and enforcement mechanisms.
