The Founder of the Ghana Movie Awards, Fred Nuamah, has addressed concerns raised by some members of the film industry regarding the plaques presented to winners at the 2025 edition of the awards ceremony.
The event, which took place at the Accra International Conference Centre on January 18, 2025, has faced criticism for its poor organization. One of the issues that drew attention after the awards ceremony was the awarding of locally made fans (known as papa in Twi) to some of the winners.
These fan plaques consist of a wooden base with inscriptions and a painting featuring Ghana’s red-gold-green colors and the black star. Fred Nuamah, speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie, clarified that the fans were given to winners of categories under a separate award scheme known as the Ghana TV Series Awards, even though both awards were presented at the same event.
He explained, “It is the Ghana Movie Awards that has the trademark with the gold plated plaques. When it comes to the Ghana TV Series Awards, because we don’t have the trademark, we started with the golden plaques and then explored this option [the fans]. Those who received the fan plaques are the winners of the Ghana TV Series Awards.”
Despite facing backlash, Nuamah defended the decision, stating that the artists who came up with the idea had valid reasons. He emphasized the importance of supporting local artisans and their creativity, acknowledging the unique perspective and value that artists bring to their creations.
When asked about his personal opinion on the fan plaques, Nuamah expressed satisfaction with the locally made awards but acknowledged the feedback from critics. He assured the public that they would not be using fan plaques in future editions of the Ghana Movie Awards.
