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The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) under the stewardship of Bice Osei Kuffour has presented to musicians and the general public the state of affairs of the Union after two years in office. In a press gathering themed �AJUMAPA @2� organized by the Union, the administration put out an encapsulation of achievements and challenges chalked over the last two years. In a statement read by the President of the Union, he outlined strides made by the administration and on-going projects being undertaken as well as a couple of setbacks the Union faces. During the period, the leadership of the Union has been working to ensure that the AJUMAPA vision lives on through the promotion of accountable and transparent governance, promoting unity and peace in Ghana to sustain the democratic dispensation required to enable it create jobs for its members. On membership, the Union�s membership has grown cumulatively year on year by 1,000 members in the last two years. The union has a twinning agreement with the British Musicians Union (BMU) under which the General Secretary, Director of Special Projects and since the beginning of 2013, the Union has undertaken a number of forward-looking and progressive engagements. In March 2013, the Ghana Music Week was organized and featured over 300 musicians and groups and showcased the cultural diversity of the country. The Music Week also had resource persons from the United Kingdom facilitate some of the educational seminars during the week-long festival. In all, over 1,200 persons including musicians, exhibitors and vendors all cashed in on the event. Government�s support in the last two years has been encouraging as it is funding an on-going research project being overseen by Auditing firm, KPMG on the Music industry in Ghana. The outcome of the research will enable the union negotiate and advocate for the appropriate resources to be channeled to our sector. It will also inform investors and stakeholders of the opportunities available in the industry. As part of the AJUMAPA vision which emphasizes welfare for the Ageing musicians, the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund (AMWeF) has been launched. The fund will provide financial support for musicians who are 60 years and above or those who have become incapacitated in course of their professional work as musicians at least once a year or in emergency situations. Late last year, the Union rolled out the collateral free AJUMAPA loan facility with Midland Savings and Loans and it will soon launch a Life Assurance and Pension Schemes for members across the country for guaranteed future security. The National Office has supported the regional offices of the Union to strengthen their capacity and the regional offices have been engaged in various programmes activated by the Head Office. In the Western region, the union is collaborating with the Ghana Health Service on some charity projects; the Volta region is planning the maiden edition of Volta Music and Dance Festival. The Ashanti regional branch has acquired land for its offices and has been organizing workshops for its members The Institute for Music and Development is sponsoring a set of musical instruments for the Upper West regional branch under the Ghana Danish Cultural Fund and The Northern region has also had some collaboration with the Goethe Institute and the Institute of Music Development while in the Eastern region; they have also acquired their own office and are working on a number of activities to create jobs for their members. From January 2014, MUSIGA will begin its training for practitioners as part of the MUSIGA Academy. This follows the signing of a contract between MUSIGA and the Skills Development Fund of Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET). The Union also has an MOU with the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana to implement a competence-based industry skills development programme under the MUSIGA Academy. The first phase of the programme will train 100 beneficiaries in specialized areas of the music industry. The concept of the Academy is to introduce international industry standards and commensurate remunerations aimed at improving the livelihood of industry practitioners. MUSIGA has signed an M.O.U with NAFTI to collaborate with them on the Music Production Department of the school. The department will offer certificate, diploma, and degree programmes in Music in a more practical and industry-related modules. During the VGMA awards in 2013, the Union in her pursuit to ensure improved and encouraging rewards for winners presented a brand new saloon car to the winners R2Bees. The Union has contracted Detris Consult as their external auditors and the audited accounts for 2013 will be available by the end of the financial year for the information of members and stakeholders. As a challenge, the Obour Administration conceded that the Union continuously suffers from misinformation and miscommunication and it�s working to address such issues.