MUSIGA Academy to start operations in February 2015 with SDF

The Skills Development Fund (SDF) is embedded in the Government's (draft) TVET policy which has as its mission to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the skilled workforce.

It raises the income-earning capacities of people, especially women and low-income groups, through the provision of quality-oriented, industry-focused, and competency-based training programmes and complementary services.

In a quest to find out if the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) may have taken the opportunity to source some funds from SDF for its activities and what that funding may have been used for so far; Flex Newspaper has realized that an amount of GHS250,725 has been secured by the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) led by Bice Osei Kuffour from the Skills Development Fund (SDF).

Information on the SDF website (sdfghana.org) indicates that the GHS250,725 given to MUSIGA is to support MUSIGA in collaboration with the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana to develop a curriculum, teaching and learning manuals, to be used in training musicians in; preparation for Enterprise, Music Business and Business Development.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the President of MUSIGA, Bice Osei Kuffour, he confirmed that an agreement had indeed been reached on the funding from SDF but noted that only half of the GHS250,725 had been received by MUSIGA and deposited in an account monitored and audited on regular basis by SDF and an auditor respectively.

He also stressed that the agreement between MUSIGA and SDF was signed in August 2013 and given prominence in September, 2013 during the Adwumapa at 2 Ceremony.

According to him, the funding is geared towards the MUSIGA Academy with support from the School of Performing Arts and NAFTI noting that, hopefully, after completion of preparatory works, the Academy would become operational in February 2015.

It's hoped that all things being equal, the MUSIGA Academy would become operational in February 2015, as stated by Bice Osei Kuffour but speaking to some musicians about the MUSIGA Academy, it’s not too clear if its MUSIGA that has not been able to publicize details of the Academy or the musicians are just not interested in the activities of MUSIGA.

Hiplife artiste, Barima Sidney noted that he has no idea about the Academy whereas Slim Busterr, Iwan and Pope Skinny noted that they had heard about the MUSIGA Academy but were not so sure of its details.

In 2006, by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act of 2008 (Act 718), the Government of Ghana established the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

The objective of the Council is to coordinate and oversee all aspects of technical and vocational education and training in the country.

One of the Council's functions is to source funding to support technical and vocational education and training (TVET) activities.