Lack of Funding affecting the production of Ghanaian films on Netflix – Akofa Edjeani

Renowned Ghanaian actress, Akofa Edjeani expressed concerns about the adverse impact of insufficient funding on the production and representation of Ghanaian films on global streaming giant Netflix.

Speaking on Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Akofa highlighted the challenges faced by filmmakers in securing adequate financial support for their projects, leading to a noticeable gap in the quantity and quality of Ghanaian content on Netflix. She attributed the drop in the number of Ghanaian movies showing on Netflix to a lack of funding for the film industry.

The veteran actress’ comment comes after film producer Umar Krupp had said that the movie industry in Ghana is dead and irrelevant, suggesting it must be shut down for an overhaul. According to him, the country must give itself five years to restructure the movie industry to give the economy a major boost.

However, Akofa Edjeani asserted that the dormant film industry could be revived with the right funding for players in the sector.

“Funding is such a problem here for us, I have scripts lying there, I know other people who have good scripts but there is no source of funding. So there has to be a way to source for funds and investors interested in investing in the sector, if that happens, we will do more because the few films we produce are good.

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“So you don’t see more of our movies on Netflix because if you have about ten producers here you have about three hundred elsewhere. So out of the ten we produce two can go on Netflix,” she said.

The lack of funding has been a persistent issue for the Ghanaian film industry, hindering its ability to compete on an international scale. Edjeani emphasized that without proper financial backing, filmmakers struggle to meet the high production standards and global appeal required by platforms like Netflix. This, in turn, limits the visibility of Ghanaian stories and talents on the world stage.