MUSIGA Moves to Establish Minimum Wage for Musicians via Ongoing Consultations

The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has intensified its push to establish a minimum wage framework for musicians, a long-awaited move aimed at addressing pay disparities and ensuring consistent, fair compensation across the country’s music industry.

Recognizing the financial instability faced by many Ghanaian artists, MUSIGA is taking decisive steps to create a wage system that promotes dignity, sustainability, and professionalism in the creative sector. At the heart of this initiative is a strong belief that musicians, like all professionals, deserve guaranteed income standards that reflect the value of their talent and contributions.

To help guide this important initiative, the union is in the process of onboarding Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah—popularly known in the music industry as Sax—as a consultant. Ofei-Nkansah brings years of experience in labor advocacy and stakeholder engagement and is expected to provide expert advice on policy development, wage negotiations, and best practices for implementation.

In addition to this consultancy, MUSIGA has begun engaging with some of the country’s most influential performance venues to build consensus around the introduction of a fair pay structure. A key development in this regard was a recent meeting with the management of +233 Jazz Bar & Grill, widely regarded as Ghana’s premier venue for live music. Discussions focused on the possibility of rolling out the minimum wage at the venue as a model for wider adoption across the industry.

“These are not just symbolic gestures,” said S.K. Agyemang, General Secretary of MUSIGA. “Our conversations with Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah and the team at +233 represent a real commitment to change. We are laying the foundation for a system that can uplift musicians and set professional standards for performance contracts.”

The union’s campaign has been further reinforced by recent public discourse surrounding musicians’ compensation, sparked by remarks from prominent religious leaders. Reverend Dag Heward-Mills, founder of the Lighthouse Chapel, and Reverend Elishah Amoako both recently spoke out about the need for musicians to be paid fairly for their services, especially those performing in religious and public functions.

MUSIGA views these statements as validation of its efforts and an indication that the broader public now recognizes the need for structural change in how musicians are treated. “When respected voices outside the industry acknowledge the financial struggles musicians face, it reminds us that our work is timely and necessary,” Agyemang noted.

Beyond consultations with individuals and venues, MUSIGA is also reaching out to both local stakeholders and international collaborators to design a comprehensive wage system. The goal is to create a scalable and enforceable structure that ensures no musician is left behind, whether they perform in high-profile venues or community events.

The union plans to hold additional stakeholder forums in the coming months, including with event organizers, talent managers, and music rights organizations, to gather input and foster buy-in from across the sector. According to Agyemang, MUSIGA intends to develop a policy framework that considers variations in performance types, event scales, and the experience level of musicians, ensuring fairness and flexibility within the wage system.

This move is part of a larger strategy to professionalize the Ghanaian music industry and protect the livelihoods of those who contribute to its vibrancy. MUSIGA believes that the introduction of a minimum wage will not only provide financial security but also attract more young talent into the industry, knowing they can pursue music as a viable and respectable career path.

As momentum builds around this initiative, the union is optimistic that through collaboration and persistent advocacy, a formal minimum wage for musicians in Ghana will soon become a reality—one that reflects both the value of artistic labor and the importance of equity within the creative economy.