It makes no sense to compare Ghana’s movie industry to Nigeria’s – Majid Michel

Popular Ghanaian actor Majid Michel has argued that comparing Ghana’s movie industry with Nigeria’s Nollywood is unfair because of the substantial population difference between the two countries.

Michel made the remarks during an interview with Y1079 FM Accra, where he said Nigeria’s larger population increases its chances of producing more actors, filmmakers and professionals across different sectors.

The veteran entertainer expressed strong disagreement with the comparison, describing it as “stupid” because it failed to account for the number of people available to work in each industry.

He explained that a country with a larger population would naturally have a greater pool of potential talent than a smaller country.

“If you have 50 children and I have five children, the possibility that you will have more criminals, doctors, good children and filmmakers than me is very high,” he said.

Michel estimated Ghana’s population at fewer than 40 million and contrasted it with Nigeria’s population of more than 200 million, which he said was approaching 300 million.

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He argued that this difference makes Nigeria’s larger number of filmmakers understandable and questioned why Ghana should be expected to produce similar numbers.

Michel also extended his argument to national development, saying Ghana should avoid making unfair comparisons with countries that have had significantly more time to establish strong institutions.

He observed that some nations have developed their leadership structures over several centuries, while Ghana is still working towards strengthening its own systems.

According to the actor, meaningful comparisons must consider a country’s population, historical circumstances and institutional development.

His remarks have contributed to the ongoing debate over the relative scale of Ghana’s film industry and Nigeria’s Nollywood, which has established a substantial presence across Africa and beyond.

Michel’s position is that the two industries should be assessed with their different national circumstances in mind rather than judged solely by the number of filmmakers they produce.