THE debate over Ghana’s place on the global film map has resurfaced, this time sparked by Nigerian filmmaker J Leo Uche, who believes the country sits on a goldmine of talent and resources yet continues to miss opportunities that could catapult its film industry onto the world stage.
Uche lamented the lack of bold, decisive steps from Ghanaian filmmakers and stakeholders as a major hurdle.
Speaking to Graphic Showbiz on Wednesday, he pointed to the recently held FESTAC Africa Festival in Accra from September 21-27 as a glaring example of the problem.
The festival, themed: “Reimagining the African Renaissance – Harnessing Culture, Trade, Health, Tourism, Diplomacy, Climate Action, and Gender Equity for Sustainable Growth and a Thriving Future for Africa,” drew participants from across the globe. Yet, despite being the host nation, Ghana’s film stakeholders were largely absent.
“Like the FESTAC Africa Festival, I didn’t see much of Ghanaians coming in and taking over the whole place,” Uche said.
“At one point, I thought maybe it wasn’t properly promoted or people didn’t have the information. But Ghana was the host nation, so that kind of absence was shocking. You just can’t understand it”, he added.
According to him, this was in sharp contrast to when Nigeria hosted FESTAC, where the festival drew such overwhelming participation that “they had to build a place called FESTAC Estate—whole estates just to accommodate foreigners.”
For Uche, this level of commitment highlighted the zeal Ghana currently lacks. “I feel Ghana has not been tapped in terms of talent, skills and experience. The zeal is not really there compared to what others are doing with their film industries in other parts of Africa,” he said.
Uche is not new to Ghana’s creative scene. Fourteen years ago, he worked on the film, The Tribe, and recalls being impressed by the raw potential of the country’s film sector. But today, he says that energy has fizzled.
The Monkey Business director praised Ghana’s pool of world-class actors—names respected across the continent but expressed disappointment that many have relocated to Nigeria in search of better opportunities.
“Ghana has so many fantastic actors, but now the majority prefer to move to Nigeria and continue their careers there. I’ve worked with Van Vicker, Juliet Ibrahim, and many more. They are top-notch, and they’ve maintained that standard, but I believe there is much more that can be done,” he noted.
When asked what Ghana could learn from Nigeria, Uche pointed to consistency and collaboration.
“Nigeria thrives on constant content production, strategic marketing, and strong partnerships among stakeholders. If Ghana invests in local talent, embraces digital platforms, and encourages cultural exchange, the industry will grow, gain global recognition, and tell its unique stories to the world,” he said.
Beyond Ghana, the Nigerian film director stressed the urgent need for Africa to establish its own film distribution channels.
Currently, international companies dominate, limiting the continent’s ability to shape how its films reach audiences.
“We are yet to claim the stage globally because there are a lot of different distribution companies coming into Africa to test the waters.”
“Until we are properly organised as African filmmakers and have a unified, unbiased distribution system of our own, we cannot truly say we’ve arrived on the global stage,” he cautioned.
