By Ghana News
ASOKWA Jayz was only 17 years old when he recorded a song in a proper studio for the first time. It was in a tiny room behind a barbershop in Madina.
The walls were padded with egg cartons, the mic had seen better days, and the producer doubled as a barber. But the moment Asokwa Jayz laid down his vocals鈥攔aw, fiery, hopeful鈥攅veryone in the room went quiet. They knew they鈥檇 just heard something special.
Fast-forward three years. Asokwa Jayz鈥檚 song goes viral on TikTok. He鈥檚 booking gigs in Accra, getting calls from Nigeria, and his name is bubbling in conversations about the 鈥渘ext big thing.鈥 Yet behind the applause, he鈥檚 struggling鈥攏o label, no legal support, no royalties from the radio plays he hears in every trotro.
It鈥檚 a familiar story. One that plays out across Ghana again and again, from Ho to Tamale, Cape Coast to Kumasi. Talented artistes, rich sounds, contagious rhythms鈥 all hitting the same invisible wall.
So the question is: where is the government in all this?
The Quiet in the Background
For a nation that thumps to the beat of music, Ghana鈥檚 public institutions have been oddly off-beat when it comes to nurturing the industry. Sure, they show up for the front row at concerts, issue the occasional press release, or even organise a flashy arts summit or two. But for artistes such as Asokwa Jayz, real support鈥攖he kind that matters鈥攊s scarce.
Ask anyone in the industry and you鈥檒l hear the same complaints: broken copyright systems, laughable royalty structures, and no serious public investment in infrastructure or talent development. Asokwa Jayz, for example, found out the hard way that registering his songs meant navigating a bureaucratic maze with all the speed and grace of a sleeping tortoise.
Yes, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has its hands in the pot. Yes, the Year of Return and its cousins brought global eyes to Ghana. But did those initiatives build studios in Wa? Train producers in Koforidua? Create pipelines for artistes to move from Instagram freestyles to international stages? (Read Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥 Combs acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering, convicted on prostitution-related counts)
A Missed Beat
There鈥檚 an old saying: talent is universal, but opportunity is not. And in Ghana, the opportunity gap is glaring. Most musicians build their careers DIY-style鈥攔ecording with borrowed mics, promoting with prayer, and monetising with a dash of miracle.
The government has yet to provide what every thriving creative economy needs: infrastructure, education, data, legal protection, and funding. There鈥檚 no national platform tracking industry stats. No central support hub where artistes can access grants, legal aid, or mentorship. No plan to ensure music education goes beyond teaching kids to bang on drums in P.E.
If you want to see what鈥檚 possible, look to places like South Korea or Nigeria. Governments there realised early that music is more than art鈥攊t鈥檚 an export, a brand, a national treasure. In Ghana, though, we still treat it like background noise to 鈥渕ore serious鈥 sectors.
But what could happen if we changed the tune?
Rewriting the Song
Imagine this: a Ghana where every region has a fully equipped music hub鈥攕oundproof studios, editing suites, and spaces to learn the business of music. A Ghana where high schools offer courses in songwriting, music tech, and sound engineering. A Ghana where the Copyright Office works like it鈥檚 2025, not 1995.
Artistes would get paid what they鈥檙e owed. Young talents like Asokwa Jayz could turn their viral moments into long-term careers. Music festivals across the country would thrive with government backing, and international collaborations would become routine, not rare.
The government wouldn鈥檛 even need to take centre stage. Just play the role of a savvy producer鈥攕etting the stage, managing the logistics, and letting the stars shine. Tax incentives for creative investors. Scholarships for music students. Export schemes to put Ghanaian sounds on Spotify playlists from Brooklyn to Brisbane.
It鈥檚 all possible. But only if the government decides that music isn鈥檛 a side hustle鈥攊t鈥檚 a sector. One with the power to create jobs, grow GDP, and elevate Ghana鈥檚 global identity.
What the Government Should Be Doing (Hint: Not Just Clapping from the Stands)
It鈥檚 high time the government stopped playing hype man and started acting like the producer.
1. Legislative Overhaul: Modernise copyright and royalty systems to ensure artistes are paid fairly and consistently. Introduce tax incentives for investors in the creative space.
2. Creative Arts Fund (with Teeth): Establish a robust, transparent, and professionally managed fund to support music projects鈥攆rom up-and-coming acts to regional music festivals.
3. Music Education Pipeline: Partner with schools and universities to formalise music education. Teach not just performance, but also the business and tech sides of the industry.
4. Public-Private Partnerships: The government doesn鈥檛 need to do it all alone. Create frameworks for private investment in the music industry鈥攖hink music tech hubs, export programmes, and accelerator schemes.
5. Cultural Diplomacy: Support Ghanaian artistes to tour and collaborate abroad. If K-Pop can conquer continents, why not G-Pop?
The Final Chorus
Asokwa Jayz鈥檚 latest single just hit one million streams. He鈥檚 still navigating things on his own, still waiting for a royalty check, still wondering if it鈥檚 all sustainable. He鈥檚 got the talent. The passion. The drive. What he鈥攁nd thousands like him鈥攏eed now is a government that listens, not just when the beat drops, but when the industry calls. Because music in Ghana isn鈥檛 just entertainment鈥攊t鈥檚 our voice, our legacy, and our future.
Ghana鈥檚 music industry does not require charity鈥攊t requires strategy. The talent is present, the demand is growing, and the cultural value is indisputable. What remains is for the government to recognise music as a formal industry worthy of investment, regulation, and policy attention.
For Asokwa Jayz, and thousands of others like him, the future hinges not just on talent, but on whether our institutions are ready to build the scaffolding for success.
In policymaking circles, we often speak of 鈥渓ow-hanging fruit.鈥 The music industry is that fruit鈥攔ipe, resilient, and ready. But someone has to reach for it.
So let鈥檚 stop playing it on mute.