Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker, Samuel Darko, popularly known as SamDakus, has argued that what is often referred to as the creative industry is fragmented with no unified authority in place to manage, streamline or enforce standards across key areas such as film production, distribution, and screening.

He pointed out that groups like the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) and the Actors Guild are simply fragmented bodies operating in silos, with no overarching system or policy direction.

During an engagement with SeanCity TV's  Ruthy Mummy DeNelson,  the filmmaker stated, “An industry is built on structure, governance, funding systems, and standards. But in Ghana, all we see are informal groups with no unifying vision.”

The filmmaker has concluded that; “There’s no movie industry in Ghana. What we have here are just mere associations. Nothing is structured, nothing is regulated,”

SamDakus was the visionary for the once-thriving Kumawood Awards, but were abruptly halted.

According to him, the Kumawood Awards were suspended due to a lack of sponsorship and support from his own people within the Kumawood film space, particularly in Kumasi.

“I didn’t stop the awards because I wanted to. I had to suspend it because there was no money, no sponsorship. But what broke me the most was the zero support from the very people I was organizing it for,” SamDakus shared.

Popular Kumawood actor and filmmaker Kwadwo Nkansah, known in the entertainment industry as LilWin, also opened up about the financial struggles of Ghana’s film industry, revealing that many filmmakers are forced to fund their productions due to a lack of investors.

In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, LilWin emphasized that the film sector is grappling with financial constraints, which has left actors and producers with no choice but to invest their own resources to keep the industry alive.

"At the moment, our industry is struggling mainly due to a lack of investment. This has forced some of us to finance our own film productions," he stated.

Despite these challenges, LilWin encouraged his colleagues to take control of their careers by exploring filmmaking and directing rather than relying solely on acting opportunities.

"I encourage my colleagues to take action because you can’t sit idle, waiting for a producer to give you a role. If you have what it takes, create your own movie," he advised.

Having personally experienced the burden of self-financing, LilWin noted that all his projects have been executed without external financial support.

"Today, I can proudly say that all my movies and TV productions were financed solely by me, without any external backing. So you can imagine the quality I could achieve if I had an investor supporting me," he added.