Shirley Frimpong-Manso unimpressed with YouTube views, says Ghanaians fail to support local films
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Shirley Frimpong-Manso says she is unimpressed with her films’ YouTube views, believing they could perform much better online.
She argues that Ghanaians complain about the lack of local movies but often fail to support available productions, unlike Nigerian audiences.
She urges Ghanaians to support local films even when they have not yet reached their expected standards, stressing that filmmakers need to start somewhere to improve.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, the film producer and director said she believed her films could perform better online, despite some of them attracting hundreds of thousands of views.
When asked whether she was impressed with the progress of her YouTube channel, she responded that she was not, arguing that Ghanaian films could achieve more if they received stronger support from local audiences.
No, really. I think we could have done much better, she said.
Frimpong-Manso cited the performance of Nigerian films online, noting that some productions attract between five million and 15 million views within a week.
She acknowledged that Nigeria has a significantly larger population than Ghana, making direct comparisons between the two countries’ viewership figures difficult.
However, she argued that audience support for local productions also plays an important role in determining their success.
The filmmaker questioned why some Ghanaians complain about the apparent lack of Ghanaian movies but do not support the films that are available.
When you continue to hear people say, ‘Oh my God, where are the Ghanaian movies?’ and yet they haven't gone to support these films, then you're kind of scratching your head and thinking, exactly what is it that Ghanaians want? she said.
Drawing on her experience working in Nigeria, Frimpong-Manso said she had witnessed how audiences there support their local content online.
Obviously, Nigeria is much, much bigger than Ghana. So, I mean, when we're talking about numbers, we can't even compete, you know.
She explained that building a successful film industry requires people to make a conscious effort to support local productions, even when the content has not yet reached the standard they expect.
People have to start from somewhere and get it somewhere, she said.
She believes Ghanaians need to develop a habit of supporting their own especially when filmmakers are putting in the efforts to create content for them.
Shirley Frimpong-Manso, Film Producer/Director, says she is unimpressed with the views her films are getting on YouTube compared to Nigerian films, arguing that Ghanaians do not support their own. 🇬🇭🎬 #ShowbizAtoZ https://t.co/3hHyq81ans
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) October 24, 2026
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