The Minister of Communication, Sam Nartey George, and Kafui Danku-Pitcher, the Executive Secretary of the National Film Authority, have both pledged to take swift action against the menace of Ghanaian television stations airing Nigerian movies without securing the proper rights.
The two government appointees took to social media to announce their intentions to tackle this issue after a complaint from Nigerian actress Bimbo Ademoye.
Ademoye, in a viral rant, slammed Ghanaian television stations for airing her movies without her permission, violating her intellectual property rights.
She said she initially attempted a dialogue to reach a settlement, but has changed her mind due to a lack of willingness to engage from the stations involved.
“That TV station in Ghana, I’m talking to you, don’t show my movies. I haven’t given you permission. Before, I used to say, ‘At least come to me, let’s discuss and share,’ but now, I don’t want your money. Don’t show my movies,” she stated.
Ademoye further tackled the use of misleading posters and titles of her movies on YouTube.
Her rant caught the attention of high-level officials in Ghana, who promised swift action.
Sam Nartey George, the Minister in charge of Communications, said on social media: “My attention has been drawn to your post…I would be raising the issue with my colleague minister responsible for overseeing television content.”
George said the current government is very sensitive to issues of intellectual property rights and copyright infringement and would do all they can to ensure her concerns are alleviated.
In a separate post, Kafui Danku, the recently appointed Executive Secretary of Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) said: “My management and I are working on putting a stop to this. You should see definite actions in a couple of weeks.”
Their posts drew a response from Ademoye, who expressed gratitude for their help in addressing her concerns.
Meanwhile, not every Ghanaian is siding with Ademoye. Media personality Miz Debbie angrily attacked the Nigerian actress for her rant targeting Ghanaian stations. She said Ademoye should be grateful to have free promotion from Ghanaian stations instead of complaining about her so-called ‘rights’.
