We write in response to the story on the above subject published on your website www.ghanaweb.com on Monday November 5, 2012.The story presented a gross misrepresentation of the facts. We therefore request that in the interest of fairness and balanced journalism, you publish this rejoinder on your website,with the same prominence you gave the original story.
The objective of the Hitmaker show was to support the music careers of the winning contestants in a way that would help them achieve artistic success and sustainable economic empowerment. In all our dealings with the contestants of the show,we made it clear to them that the prize for winning would be the investment of stated amounts of money in their music careers - to support the production, promotion and marketing of their albums. This was clearly stated in the terms and conditions of the projectand accepted by the contestants, production house and all relevant stakeholders.
In line with this stated objective, following the final event, MTN requested that the winners work with their preferred producers to prepare and submit artiste management proposals for MTN's review. We have had discussions with the artistesand their preferred producers and they have submitted proposals that are currently under review. Indeed both winners and all relevant stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the process so far. Once the contracts are finalised, MTN will proceed to disburse the monies to the production houses,and the winnerscan begin production.
Quite recently, in response to an appeal by the two winners, we made a decision to disburse10% of the value of the prizesto the winners, to enable them take care of somepersonal needs; however this was not part of the original proposal and was done on purely humanitarian grounds. The remaining amount will be invested in their music careersas originally planned.
MTN Ghana has invested heavily in this property and we remain fully committed to our promise of economically empowering musicians in a sustainable manner.
As you may also be aware, MTN has invested in several sponsorships since we entered the Ghanaian market, and we take pride in the contributionswe have made towards the development of talents in this country. In all our sponsorships we have never fallen short of honouring our obligations, and we take exception to any suggestion to the contrary. We have a responsibility to ensure that we do not detract from the objective for which we sponsor each event,hence we adhere strictly to due process. In this particular instance we made a commitment to invest in the music careersof the winners in order to help them achieve sustained economic empowerment; and we are pursuing this commitment withthe utmost seriousness.
Journalists seeking further information on the matter may contact the Corporate Services Division of MTN at 0244300000.
Yours faithfully,
Cynthia Lumor (Mrs)
Corporate Services Executive
233-24-4300000
clumor@mtn.com.gh