Veteran Ghanaian actor Majid Michel has criticised the long-standing comparison between Ghana’s film industry, Ghallywood, and Nigeria’s Nollywood, describing it as “stupid” because of the significant difference in the populations of the two countries.
Michel made the remarks during an interview with Y107.9 FM Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, where he argued that the Nigerian and Ghanaian film industries should not be measured by the same standards without considering their respective populations.
The actor explained his position using an analogy, noting that a person with 50 children would statistically have a greater chance of producing more doctors, criminals, talented individuals and filmmakers than someone with only five children.
“The comparison between us and Nigeria is such a stupid comparison to me,” Michel said.
“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.”
The actor noted that Ghana’s population is below 40 million, while Nigeria’s population exceeds 200 million and is approaching 300 million.
He argued that the population difference should be considered when comparing the number of professionals, filmmakers and other talents emerging from both countries.
“So how on earth would you compare? Why do they have more doctors than us? Mathematically, you should know why,” he added.
Michel also extended his argument beyond the rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria, saying African countries should be cautious about comparing themselves with more established nations.
According to him, many African countries are still developing the leadership structures and institutional systems required to sustain mature industries.
“It is also unfair for us to compare ourselves with any other established nation in the world. When it comes to leadership, we are adolescent,” he said.
“There are countries that have been in leadership for over 300 years. They have built systems. We are way behind. So it is an unfair comparison.”
The actor’s comments have added to the long-running debate among fans and entertainment industry stakeholders over the differences between Ghallywood and Nollywood in terms of film production, industry growth, star power and international recognition.
While Nollywood benefits from Nigeria’s larger population and market, Michel maintained that comparisons between the two industries should also take into account differences in scale, infrastructure and institutional development.
Watch Majid Michel speak about the Ghallywood and Nollywood debate in the Instagram video below;
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