Renowned ethnomusicologist Professor John Collins has shed more light on the origins of the highlife music genre, revealing when the name first appeared in writing.

Speaking on the panel of Joy FM’s eighth Showbiz Roundtable hosted by Kwame Dadzie on March 14, 2026, he said although earlier music forms such as adaha and osibisaba laid the foundation for highlife, the name itself was first written in 1925.

“The word ‘highlife’ was invented in September 1925. It was in a brochure by the Cape Coast Literary Association for a band in Ghana called the Ragged Jazz Band,” he said.

While the term was used in 1925, Professor Collins noted that the Kumasi Trio were the first to record highlife songs, beginning in June 1928.

According to him, this helps address arguments by other countries that claim the genre originated in their territories.

The eighth edition of Showbiz Roundtable examined the theme ‘Preserving highlife as Ghana’s music heritage.’

The programme aired live on Joy 99.7 FM, JoyPrime and JoyNews as part of the stations’ Ghana Month activities.

The panel featured Professor John Collins, ethnomusicologist; Amandzeba, highlife musician; Kofi Boachie-Ansah, also known as Beatmenace, audio engineer; Adina, highlife musician; and Jonas Bibi Hammond, a veteran music producer.

The keynote address was delivered by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Maame Efua Houadjeto. In her address, she spoke about the importance of Ghana making greater gains from the highlife genre while passing it on to future generations.

A special guest for the programme was UNESCO’s National Professional Officer for Culture, Carl Ampah, who offered insight into what it means for highlife to be listed by UNESCO as Ghana’s intangible cultural heritage.

The show had a live studio audience made up of musicians, journalists, music producers, music executives and other creative industry stakeholders. Those in attendance included Asah Nkansah of Kwan Pa Band, Dela Botri, Yaw Darling, Seven Xavier and Tilly Akua Nipaa, among others.

Showbiz Roundtable was brought to audiences by the 2025 GJA Awards Entertainment Programme of the Year, Showbiz A-Z, powered by Joy Entertainment with support from Joy Prime television.

It was moderated by arts and culture journalist Kwame Dadzie and emceed by Noella Karyne Yalley.

The eighth Showbiz Roundtable was produced by Philip Nai, Anita Teye, Martin Kwasi Asare and DJ Wobeti.

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The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, has described Ghana’s banking sector as sound, profitable, and well-capitalized, even as credit growth to households and businesses remains subdued.

Speaking at the opening of the 129th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, Dr Asiama highlighted that the banking sector’s health is crucial for the effectiveness of monetary policy.

“The banking sector remains sound, it remains profitable, and it remains well capitalized. We have asset quality improving meaningfully over the past year,” he said.

According to him, improvements in the banking sector are essential not only for financial stability but also for ensuring that changes in the central bank’s policy rate translate effectively into credit conditions for the real economy.

“The extent to which changes in the policy rate translate into credit conditions for households and businesses is important,” Dr Asiama explained.

However, he noted that credit growth continues to be restrained and requires further examination to understand whether the constraint is coming from the supply side, such as banks’ risk appetite, capital buffers, or non-performing loan ratios, or from the demand side, reflecting weak borrowing demand from households and businesses.

“We need to evaluate whether the constraint is from the supply side, whether it’s still on the side of banks, or is it from the demand side, which is on the side of the borrowing public,” he said.

Dr Asiama emphasized that while the banking sector’s stability is a positive sign, subdued credit growth could limit the pace of economic recovery and the effectiveness of monetary policy.

“This committee was asked to exercise discipline in the face of improvement… but today the judgment required is more complex. We must make our decision at the intersection of domestic success and external uncertainty,” he added.

The MPC is expected to consider these developments carefully as it deliberates on the appropriate policy rate, balancing domestic improvements with global risks.

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