Ghanaian musician NambaWan has called on entertainers and their audiences in the Upper East Region to move beyond ethnic and geographical divisions, arguing that greater collaboration is needed to grow the region’s entertainment industry.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Entertainment Zone following the Saa La Dansika Festival, held at Jocom Golden Hotel on Friday, September 25, 2026, NambaWan said the region had enough creative talent to make a greater impact on Ghana’s entertainment scene but needed stronger collective support.
The musician, who spoke in a phone interview with host Phatbone The 5 Star General, said the support he personally receives from people in the region demonstrates their willingness to support local artistes.
“What they don’t give other artists, even when they pay money to get it, that’s what NambaWan gets at his comfort zone or at the comfort of his house,” he said.
But NambaWan said that support should not be limited to him.
“I don’t want to be very selfish, but I want the people of Upper East to understand that you can’t only promote only NambaWan, because I can’t fight the fight alone,” he said.
He called for greater collaboration among musicians, fans, media organisations, event organisers and other industry players to promote entertainment from the Upper East Region beyond its borders.
“I just need you people to come on board, whatever that is, music, whatever that is entertainment, and then it’s about selling Upper East to the world,” he said.
NambaWan said people from different parts of the region needed to support one another rather than allowing their communities or ethnic identities to determine which artistes they supported.
“Whether you are from Bawku, whether you are from Navrongo, whether you are from Bolgatanga, they should all come together,” he said.
He expressed concern that ethnic identity sometimes influences how people respond to artistes and entertainment activities in the region.
“The Kusasi man thinks he’s a Kusasi, so because of that, it’s for the Kusasi people. The Bolga man thinks he’s Frafra, because of that, it’s for only the Frafra people,” he said.
NambaWan argued that such divisions could make it more difficult to collectively promote artistes from the region.
He believes the Upper East Region has considerable creative talent that could gain wider recognition if entertainers and their audiences worked together.
“Look at the kind of talents we have in Upper East. Other regions don’t even have a quarter of that,” he said.
For him, the challenge is therefore not only about discovering talent, but also building the collective support needed to promote it.
NambaWan also indicated that the Saa La Dansika initiative would continue beyond the September 25 event.
“This is not just the final,” he said.
According to him, plans are being considered to take the initiative to different parts of the Upper East Region before eventually staging an event at the Bukom Arena in Accra.
He said expanding the initiative could provide another platform to connect communities and promote entertainment from the Upper East Region to audiences outside the region.
NambaWan said his call for unity extended beyond entertainment, arguing that cooperation was necessary in other areas of society as well.
“Whether politics, whether society, whether religion, whether it’s entertainment, whether it’s business or the world market, without unity you can’t work,” he said.
He therefore urged artistes, fans and other stakeholders to work collectively to promote the Upper East entertainment industry and create wider opportunities for its artistes.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Seidu Suleman Akurugu | Bolgatanga
