Ghana Union Midlands, popularly known as GUM is the regional umbrella body for the various Ghanaian unions, associations and other groups operating in the Midlands region. GUM is an offshoot of Ghana Union Birmingham, now known as Ghana Union Greater Birmingham {GUGB}. In 2010, Ghana Union Birmingham moved on to a new direction in the next stages of its development, and changed its name to Ghana Union Midlands [GUM] to reflect its ambition to lead on the formation of a regional umbrella group. Since then, the organisation has gone through developmental, & structural changes and growth. 

GUM took on a challenging task and the leading role in organising a memorial service in July 2012 for the late Prof. John Atta Mills, former President of the Republic of Ghana.  GUM managed to bring all the leaders of the major Ghanaian groups in the Midlands region together under one roof for the first time to participate in the memorial service.

Following the memorial service, all the groups that took part in the memorial service were invited by GUM to a meeting in August 2012. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and explore the formation of a regional umbrella body for Ghanaian groups in the Midlands region. At the meeting, all the representatives of the various groups that participated in the meeting agreed in principle to the formation of a regional umbrella body.  It was agreed that the umbrella body will be the mouthpiece and provide a unified voice when dealing with the Ghana High Commission and statutory bodies in the UK on issues affecting the Ghanaian community in the Midlands region.  It was also agreed at the meeting that GUM will lead on and play a caretaker role until the regional umbrella body is formally formed. 

GUM put in motion the formation of the regional umbrella body after the August meeting in 2012.  At this point, GUM took on a ‘dual role’ in looking after its Birmingham members, whilst at the same time, pursuing the formation of a regional umbrella body to provide a unified voice for the Ghanaian community in the Midlands. The journey to form a regional umbrella body for Ghanaian groups in the Midlands region was a difficult and tortuous task.  Building a general consensus is a time consuming and difficult process in the formation of any community group with diverse interests and aims. The journey was marked by a process of ironing out differences amongst the various interest groups through hard negotiations and agreement.

Eventually, on the 31^st January 2015, we finally achieved our main goal of forming a regional umbrella body for Ghanaian groups in the Midlands region. An overwhelming majority of the founding members of the regional umbrella body finally agreed and appended their signatures to a constitution. This legal document binds all the local groups in the Midlands region who have become members of the regional umbrella body. Following the adoption of the constitution, the umbrella body was later registered on 27^th February 2015 as a UK charity with the Charity Commission.  The current GUM trustees consist of the representatives of the local groups in the Midlands region forming the regional umbrella body.