Ghanaian entertainers need to explore beyond Nigeria – OB Amponsah

Nigeria is widely known to have the most successful entertainment industry in Africa, making them a major competitor to other countries, including Ghana.

This has generated several debates among industry players and stakeholders in the sector. Some Ghanaian entertainers have accepted the fact.

However, Ghanaian comedian OB Amponsah has a different opinion about the comparison.

In an interview on Joy Prime’s Changes show, he clarified that Nigeria is not a competitor for Ghanaian comedians.

He explained that Africa is large and contains many countries, urging Ghanaian entertainers to consider exploring other territories beyond Nigeria.

“The space is big and Africa is huge, and when you travel outside Ghana, you would realise that there’s a lot of common stuff that we all share as Africans. So, I feel like the space is broad and we should explore beyond the Nigerian mentality because even between us and Nigeria, there’s Togo.”

He further told Roselyn Felli that the majority of Ghanaian comedians, including himself, have performed in other international countries in the same way as their Nigerian counterparts.

According to him, attention has been shifted from Nigerians, although their entertainers are usually invited to perform on platforms together with Ghanaians.

“I feel like our focus is too much on Nigeria. I’ve performed in Rwanda, Zambia, and South Africa. Oh Joo and Ebenezer Dwomoh went to Kenya to do shows; Jacinta has performed at Apollo. So, Nigerians are not like our competition,” he cleared.

He stated that they have woven stand-up comedy into the minds of Ghanaians, which allows them to outshine Nigerian comedians on Ghanaian stages

The comedian thinks Ghanaian entertainers should rather consider exploring the Nigerian space to also dominate their industry.

Currently, Ghanaian comedians have developed a strategy of connecting with other international comedians and not only Nigeria to enable them to break into the global market farther, according to OB Amponsah.