The Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Board has provided an explanation regarding the absence of King Paluta’s so‘Makoma’ from the Highlife Song and Most Popular Song of the Year categories.
In a press statement issued on April 3, 2025, Robert Klah, Head of Communications and Public Events at Charterhouse, addressed concerns that the song was left out due to alleged profanity. He clarified that this was not the reason for its exclusion.
The organizers stated, “each artiste can have only one song per category, except for Best Collaboration, Best International Collaboration and Best Music Video.”
They further explained, “this rule prevents vote-splitting and ensures that artists have the most substantial chance of winning.”
Citing King Paluta’s songs “Aseda” and “Makoma” as an example, the Board said they used streaming data and airplay reports from 175 radio stations to determine which song was more popular. “Aseda” was ultimately chosen for both the Highlife Song and Most Popular Song of the Year categories.
Although there have been instances in past years where this rule was relaxed, the Board emphasized that its current policy is to allow only one song per artiste in a given category. A similar approach was used in 2016 when Bisa Kdei had two major hits—‘Mansa’ and ‘Brother Brother’—but only ‘Mansa’ received a nomination.
Reaffirming their commitment to fairness, the TGMA Board stated, “We 
also reiterate our dedication to educating stakeholders, leveraging the error and omission window as a valuable learning tool"
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