Lynx Entertainment CEO Richie Mensah has launched a blunt assessment of Ghana’s creative industry, arguing that its failure to unite and demonstrate economic value continues to deny it the kind of state support it demands.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie, the award-winning producer and entrepreneur said that players in the creative space have become too reliant on empty expectations, instead of focusing on building results that attract meaningful investment.
“I say all the time that leave government alone, leave associations alone. Leave everybody alone and do what you can do. He who embarks on a worthy cause deserves a push,” he emphasized.
Richie pointed out that while he has faced many challenges, any support he received along the way was earned through hard work and proof of value.
“You see I have mentioned earlier that as much as I have had a lot of challenges, I have also had a lot of support. But every support I have received in my life has been earned. I wasn’t given the support in vacuum. I was given the support because I proved it, that if you support me it’s worth your time and money,” he said.
He argued that the creative sector’s minimal returns and fragmented leadership give the government little reason to invest.
“The reason government won’t support creative arts is because it’s not worth their time. Let’s be very honest. You have artistes and media people standing there talking about ‘do this for me, do this for us, we deserve this, we are so entitled, stop talking,” he stated.
Using the U.S. as a benchmark, Richie explained that entertainment thrives there not because of political favoritism, but because it generates massive revenue—enough to rival the oil industry.
“California has a higher GDP than Texas. This means in US entertainment is bringing in more money than oil. So when you see the US government support entertainment, when you see them pass laws to help entertainment, how LA has laws that favour its own writers and everything, it’s not because the President or the Minister likes music, because they understand that it is making them enough money to invest in other things,” Richie pointed out.
He then took aim at the persistent infighting and lack of professionalism within Ghana’s creative circles, which he said continues to cripple collective progress.
“When we can’t get our act right, who do we want to support us? When we are doing things the way we are supposed to. We can’t even organise enough. And I don’t even mean an association. If you put five artistes in Ghana together, two of them have beef. If you are organising an event right now, the vendors have beef with each other, media houses have beef with each other. We can’t even get our part right,” he lamented.
Beyond his influence as a producer behind stars like KiDi, Kuami Eugene, and MzVee, Richie Mensah has expanded into television, film, and publishing. His recently released book, Yes, It’s Your Fault, echoes the very ethos he preached during the interview: that personal accountability and visible impact are essential, especially in a creative economy that wants to be taken seriously.
Below is a video Richie Mensah’s statement.
