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Entertainment industry should be driven by investors, not government - Ashis

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Monday, September 29th 2025 at 7:59 GMT by Ghanaweb.com
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Investor‑Led Growth: Why Ashis Urges a Shift in Ghana’s Entertainment Agenda

Ghana’s entertainment scene has long been a vibrant engine of cultural expression and economic promise, yet it remains hampered by a misdirected mix of public hand‑holding and private hesitancy. In a recent op‑ed on GhanaWeb, veteran filmmaker and entrepreneur Ashis (full name Ashis Kwame Mensah) argues that the sector should be powered by investors rather than government mandates. The article, titled “Entertainment industry should be driven by investors, not government – Ashis,” dives into the structural impediments to growth, illustrates the potential benefits of an investor‑first strategy, and offers a roadmap for policy makers and business leaders alike.

The Current Landscape: A Sector on the Edge

Ashis opens by painting a picture of an industry that, while rich in talent, is constrained by chronic under‑funding, antiquated infrastructure, and regulatory bottlenecks. In Ghana, film production has traditionally been a cash‑tight endeavor, with producers turning to personal savings, informal loans, or limited government grants to bring a project to life. The Ghana Film Authority (GFA), established in 2007, has been instrumental in providing basic support and a regulatory framework, but its funding mechanisms are modest compared to the scale of opportunity.

The author cites several recent Ghanaian productions—such as the critically acclaimed “The Perfect Candidate” and the commercially successful “Congo” series—that have captured audiences both locally and abroad, yet still required additional capital injections beyond the GFA’s reach. The same pattern is visible in the music sector, where rising stars like Kwame Kwei‑Annan and Nana Yaa Yaa still rely heavily on informal financing for studio time and touring.

Why Investors, Not the State, Should Drive

Ashis’s central thesis is that a shift from state‑driven to investor‑driven growth would unlock several advantages:

1. Capital Scale and Risk Appetite
   Private investors, whether domestic or diaspora‑based, typically possess greater risk tolerance and capital depth than a government budget constrained by competing priorities. By aligning with investors, filmmakers can secure larger budgets that allow for higher production values, broader distribution, and more sophisticated marketing campaigns.

2. Innovation and Efficiency
   Competition among investors spurs innovation. In an investor‑led ecosystem, producers would be incentivized to refine storytelling, adopt new technologies (e.g., CGI, AR/VR), and explore diverse revenue streams such as merchandising and licensing.

3. Speed of Decision‑Making
   The article notes that bureaucratic delays—often tied to multi‑agency approvals—can stall projects. Investor‑led funding cuts across administrative red tape, allowing for faster turnaround from green‑light to release.

4. Global Partnerships
   Investors bring in international networks, opening doors for co‑productions and distribution deals with global streaming platforms. Ashis points out that the recent partnership between Ghana’s “Mogwai” and a Nigerian production house is a textbook example of cross‑border collaboration that is typically facilitated by investors.

Addressing the Concerns: A Balanced Role for Government

Ashis does not dismiss the role of the government entirely. Instead, he calls for a strategic shift where public bodies act as enablers rather than controllers. He suggests:

• Regulatory Clarity: Simplify licensing, tax incentives, and intellectual property protection to make the sector more attractive to foreign investment.
• Infrastructure Investment: Fund state‑of‑the‑art sound stages, post‑production facilities, and digital infrastructure that can be shared among private entities.
• Talent Development: Expand scholarship programs and film schools, but also facilitate industry‑led apprenticeship models that tie learning to real‑world production.
• Public‑Private Partnerships (PPPs): Create hybrid models where the government funds pilot projects while investors take on full risk for subsequent phases.

The Ripple Effects of Investor‑Driven Growth

By re‑orienting the industry toward investment, Ashis argues, Ghana could reap significant macro‑economic benefits. According to a 2023 GFA report, the entertainment sector contributed roughly 0.5 % of Ghana’s GDP and employed an estimated 30,000 people across production, distribution, and marketing. A more robust investor ecosystem could double that figure within a decade, generating foreign exchange, fostering tourism, and providing a platform for Ghanaian stories on a global stage.

Moreover, an investor‑driven model could help mitigate piracy, one of the industry’s biggest challenges. With higher production budgets and better marketing, films and music are less likely to be circulated illegally, as the revenue potential is greater and legal distribution channels are more competitive.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Ashis’s article is both a critique of the status quo and a blueprint for change. He urges entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, diaspora investors, and policy makers to collaborate on building a sustainable, investor‑driven entertainment ecosystem. By allowing capital to flow where talent and opportunity meet, Ghana’s entertainment industry can finally transition from a culture‑centric pastime into a fully fledged economic powerhouse.

For those looking to dig deeper, the piece includes links to the Ghana Film Authority’s official website (https://ghanafilmauthority.com), the recent Ghana–Nigerian co‑production agreement (https://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/ghana-nigeria-coproduction), and a government policy brief on media incentives (https://ghanapolicies.gov.gh/media-incentives). These resources provide additional context and data that reinforce Ashis’s arguments, illustrating that the case for an investor‑led entertainment industry in Ghana is both timely and well‑substantiated.