The President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, together with the union’s Second Vice President, Abena Ruthy, has clarified concerns about the organisation’s welfare packages, stressing that only members in good standing are entitled to full benefits.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Showbiz A-Z, they explained that members who have been inactive or have failed to pay their dues for more than six months lose access to the union’s full welfare support.
Addressing public reaction to a GH₵500 donation made during the one-week observance of Yaw Sarpong, the MUSIGA leadership said the late gospel artist was not a member in good standing at the time. Despite this, they noted that the union offered support on humanitarian grounds — a gesture they extend to both inactive members and non-members in times of need.
“The last time he paid his dues was about seven years ago,” Bessa Simons revealed.
They further explained that while MUSIGA’s Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund covers members aged 60 and above, eligibility depends on consistent dues payment — a requirement Yaw Sarpong did not meet.
The leadership also responded to reports about a GH₵100 donation at the funeral of Maame Tiwa. According to them, she was likewise not in good standing, and the reported donation did not come directly from MUSIGA but from a separate group that included a key figure within the union’s leadership.
They emphasised that beyond its formal welfare structure, MUSIGA often provides support on compassionate grounds. Union representatives, they said, regularly attend funerals and social events involving non-members and offer assistance outside official welfare and insurance provisions.
“We get people coming to us. The last one that happened, a young man came to us and said his dad was dead and that he wanted MUSIGA to play a role in the funeral,” Bessa Simons recounted.
In that instance, although the deceased was not a registered member, MUSIGA helped facilitate a state-assisted burial.
The union noted that when a registered member in good standing passes away, it provides a minimum donation of GH₵5,000. In addition, MUSIGA operates pension and insurance schemes designed to support members during periods of illness, incapacity, or bereavement.
The leadership is therefore urging musicians and industry professionals to formally register and remain active in the union to fully benefit from its welfare programmes.