Kumasi people are more down-to-earth than Accra’s big boys – Ramsey Nouah

Nigerian veteran actor and filmmaker Ramsey Nouah has triggered a fresh conversation about the contrasting lifestyles of Ghana’s two major cities after describing Kumasi as a city of hardworking, entrepreneurial and more down-to-earth people.

Nouah made the comments after arriving in Kumasi to feature in an upcoming movie by Ghanaian actor and comedian Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lil Win. His observations about the Ashanti regional capital have since drawn attention because of the direct comparison he made between Kumasi and Accra, as well as between the Ghanaian cities and Nigeria’s Lagos and Abuja.

Speaking in an interview with Angel FM, Nouah said his first impressions of Kumasi had been positive, particularly the energy and attitude of the people he had encountered since arriving in the city.

“Kumasi is lovely. People are awesome. The energy here is quite something — it’s almost like Lagos and Abuja,” he said.

The Nigerian actor went further to explain the comparison by drawing a distinction between the social and economic character he associates with Lagos and Abuja. In his assessment, Lagos represents a city where hustlers and entrepreneurs dominate, while Abuja is more associated with people enjoying wealth and projecting a more affluent lifestyle.

“Lagos is the hustlers’ place. Abuja is where people are eating, enjoying the big money and acting like they are the big boys. Lagos is more like the entrepreneurs. It feels like the same thing here,” Nouah stated.

It was his comparison between Kumasi and Accra, however, that appeared to generate the strongest talking point. Nouah said his experience in Kumasi reminded him more of Lagos because of what he described as the strong presence of hustlers and entrepreneurs.

“Accra is like the big boys acting like we are the big boys, but Kumasi is like hustlers, entrepreneurs and all those things,” he said.

When asked whether he preferred the atmosphere he had encountered in Kumasi, Nouah agreed and maintained that residents of the Ashanti regional capital appeared more down-to-earth than people in Accra, based on his personal experience.

“People are more down-to-earth here in Kumasi than in Accra, based on my experience,” he added.

Accra, capital and principal commercial centre, has over the years developed a reputation as the country’s political, corporate and entertainment hub. The city attracts professionals, politicians, business executives, expatriates and members of Ghana’s growing creative and lifestyle industries.

Kumasi, meanwhile, remains one of Ghana’s most important commercial centres and the traditional capital of the Ashanti Region. The city has historically been associated with trading, manufacturing, entrepreneurship and a large informal economy, with markets and small and medium-sized businesses playing a major role in its economic life.

It was against this background that Nouah’s description of Kumasi as a place of “hustlers” and entrepreneurs resonated with a familiar perception of the city, although his assessment remains based on his personal experience during his visit.

Nouah’s current visit is linked to another such collaboration. He is in Kumasi to feature in Lil Win’s upcoming movie, bringing together two prominent personalities from the Ghanaian and Nigerian film industries.