OB Amponsah is a popular stand-up Ghanaian
Popular Ghanaian stand-up comedian OB Amponsah had lamented how the ban on celebrities from the promotion of betting and alcohol products by the Food and Drugs Authority has negatively affected the entertainment industry.
Speaking on GhanaWeb’s X Spaces, he argued that the ban, which is said to safeguard children from harmful influence, is inadvertently crippling the country’s once-thriving entertainment sector.
According to OB Amponsah, betting and alcohol companies once played a central role in financing creative events, offering daily sponsorships that energised the industry.
“Day and night, Ghanaians are consuming their product; they have the cash to give out. you don’t ban celebrities from enjoying some of these.
“When the entertainment space was really thriving years back, these companies were major sponsors. But once these bans started, they affected the entertainment industry,” he stated.
According to him, the ban did not only cut off essential funding but also restrict celebrities’ livelihood opportunities by denying them sponsorship deals.
OB Amponsah also criticised the FDA’s rationale that the ban protects children, stating that proper enforcement is needed, not a ban.
“It is about enforcement; you cannot ban celebrities from being sponsored by alcohol brands when you are not enforcing it,” he said.
He cited countries like the UK, where alcohol purchases and betting sign-ups require identity verification.
“In countries like the UK, you cannot log into a betting site without an ID, you cannot buy alcohol without an ID,” he noted.
About the ban
Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority enacted the ban in 2015, forbidding celebrities from endorsing alcoholic beverages in advertisements or sponsorship deals.
The policy, enshrined under its Guideline 3.2.10, has been justified as a measure to shield minors from celebrity-influenced alcohol marketing.
In 2023, music executive Mark Darlington Osae contested the constitutionality of the ban, labelling it as discriminatory and harmful to creative professionals. In June 2024, the Supreme Court upheld FDA’s decision.
Listen to the full interview below:
— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) July 25, 2025
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