Veteran Ghanaian sound engineer and music producer, Fred Kyei Mensah, popularly known as Fredyma, says he was denied the opportunity to contribute his creative ideas under the previous government, despite being appointed to the Folklore Board.
Speaking on Starr Showbiz with Feeling Daddy on Starr 103.5 FM on Saturday, November 15, 2025, Fredyma revealed that although he had “brilliant ideas” for the creative sector, he was not given the platform to implement them.
“I was on the Folklore Board. They asked me after the fourth year. Most of the contributions that I had to make, I had brilliant ideas that I wanted to expose to them… they didn’t even give me the platform,” he said.
Fredyma noted that many of the ideas he proposed, such as initiatives involving school bands and youth-focused creative programmes, are now being implemented by other [NDC] people. He expressed frustration that these concepts were ignored when he first suggested them.
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He added that the lack of recognition was not due to his competence, but possibly because he did not hold academic degrees, despite his four decades of practical experience in Ghana’s music and sound engineering industry.
According to him, this lack of openness prevented him from supporting various creative initiatives that could have provided skills development opportunities for young people across the country.
Fredyma contrasted this experience with what he described as President John Mahama’s approach to creatives, praising the President for acknowledging and rewarding industry players based on loyalty, experience and practical contributions rather than academic qualifications.
He stressed that Ghana’s creative sector would benefit greatly if governments adopted a consistent blueprint that continues across administrations rather than abandoning projects based on political transitions.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
