Veteran Ghanaian music producer and sound engineer, Fred Kyei Mensah, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to settle an outstanding payment he claims the state owes him.
Speaking during a discussion on Joy prime, Mr Kyei Mensah explained that he has been waiting for about eight to nine years to receive the payment.
He noted that despite his political neutrality in the creative industry, he has supported national initiatives through his work.
According to him, he composed a jingle used during the national Population and Housing Census in Ghana, which helped encourage many people to take part in the exercise.
Mr Kyei Mensah explained that the information contained in the jingle motivated citizens to be counted, and the data gathered from the exercise has since been used by the government for national planning.
He therefore appealed to the President to intervene and ensure that the outstanding amount of 3,500 Ghana cedis owed to him is paid.
“I have been selling good things about you in the creative industry. I am also a veteran, so please do something for me. The country owes me 3,500 and I have the documents to prove it,” he stated.
Mr Kyei Mensah used the opportunity to highlight the historical importance of his recording facility, Fredyma Studios.
According to him, the first room rented by Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, when he arrived in Accra in the late 1940s was located at the studio.
He suggested that the government could acquire the building and convert it into a heritage site or attraction centre to preserve its historical value.
Mr Kyei Mensah added that the studio has played an important role in Ghana’s music industry, with many successful musicians passing through it over the years.
By: Jacob Aggrey
