The long-awaited legal transfer of ownership for the Northern Music Awards (NMA) has been officially completed today, Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at the Tamale High Court.
In a court-supervised signing, the new organizers of the Northern Music Awards finalized a ₵6.7 billion buyout agreement with Iddrisu Mohammed Rafik, the former CEO and founder of the Northern Music Awards. The signed documents, now legally binding, confirm that Mr. Rafik has permanently relinquished all rights, claims, and authority to organize or affiliate with the awards scheme in any form.
Per the official contract, the organizers made a ₵4.7 billion upfront payment in court today, leaving a balance of ₵2 billion to be cleared soon as part of the full settlement package.
This court-endorsed agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Northern Music Awards, giving the current owners, who are the organizers of the Ghana Music Awards, the full legal control to restructure and expand the awards into a more unified and credible scheme across the northern regions of Ghana.
