Calls for a shake-up at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards are growing louder after Ghanaian DJ and broadcaster DJ Mensah urged Charterhouse to rethink the event’s production structure and bring seasoned industry figures on board to help reposition the scheme.
Reacting to the 27th edition of the awards on May 13, 2026, DJ Mensah acknowledged Charterhouse for keeping the TGMAs relevant for close to 30 years, but said the platform had now reached a stage where maintaining the status quo was no longer enough.
In a Facebook post, he argued that the awards ceremony had evolved into something much bigger than an annual entertainment event.
“The awards have grown beyond being just another event. At this point, it has become a national entertainment responsibility… The company honestly deserves to be studied for keeping this platform alive and relevant for nearly three decades. But growth also means evolution,” he wrote.
DJ Mensah highlighted several recurring issues he believes continue to affect the awards show, including the length of the programme, poor coordination of performances, red carpet congestion, production mishaps and audience exhaustion.
According to him, the same concerns have dominated conversations around the TGMAs year after year without any major changes.
“Every year, the conversations remain almost the same …. long hours, poor pacing, poor performance arrangement, overcrowded red carpets, audience fatigue, production errors, yet somehow the cycle continues.
“No guest should realistically sit from 7PM till almost 4AM at an award show. The energy drops, the audience become tired, performances lose impact and the experience starts feeling exhausting instead of exciting,” he said.
He also criticised the current state of the red carpet experience, saying it lacked structure and exclusivity.
“The red carpet also needs more structure and prestige. At times, it feels overcrowded and unclear who exactly should be there,” he said.
As part of his recommendations, DJ Mensah proposed assembling what he described as an “Avengers” team made up of experienced industry professionals capable of helping elevate the awards scheme.
He mentioned names such as Fred Darko, David Bossman, George Quaye, Bana Sadiq and Kojo Soboh, explaining that their background in entertainment and previous involvement with Charterhouse could prove valuable.
“These are people who can add to production, branding, audience experience, culture and modern entertainment direction to further strengthen what the scheme is already doing already.
“As much as they all have their own companies and responsibilities to run, I genuinely believe they would still take on this task simply to give back to the industry,” he wrote.
DJ Mensah concluded by stressing that Ghana’s music industry deserved an awards platform that matched the global quality of its talent.
“Ghanaian talent is world class. The platform celebrating that talent should continuously evolve to match that same level,” he concluded.
