By Simpson Global Media News Desk
A new Ghana-Nigeria film collaboration has moved into production as prominent Nollywood actors Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to join Ghanaian actor and filmmaker Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lil Win, for his upcoming movie A Journey to Africa (Nzulezu).
The Nigerian actors arrived at the Accra International Airport ahead of production of the film, which is being produced under Lil Win’s Wezzy Empire banner.
Their arrival marks another cross-border collaboration between Ghana’s Kumawood film industry and Nigeria’s Nollywood, following Lil Win’s earlier project A Country Called Ghana, which also featured several Nigerian actors.
The new production is centred on Nzulezu, the historic stilt settlement located in Ghana’s Western Region. The location, built over the Amansuri wetland, is one of Ghana’s distinctive cultural and tourism sites.
The production is therefore bringing together two elements with established regional appeal: recognisable Nigerian screen talent and a Ghanaian cultural location that has rarely occupied the centre of a major cross-border African film project.
According to Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Nigerian actors were welcomed at the airport by Lil Win and members of his Wezzy Empire team. The arrival signals the beginning of the latest stage of a project Lil Win has been developing as his second major international movie.
A Ghana-Nigeria Production Takes Shape
The arrival of the Nollywood contingent represents the latest development in Lil Win’s effort to build film projects that extend beyond Ghana’s domestic market.
Lil Win, whose career is strongly associated with Kumawood, Ghana’s Akan-language popular film tradition, has increasingly pursued productions involving actors from outside Ghana.
His previous major crossover project, A Country Called Ghana, brought Nigerian actors Ramsey Nouah, Victor Osuagwu and Charles Awurum into a Ghanaian production.
The new film continues that strategy but shifts the setting and scale.
A Journey to Africa (Nzulezu) has been described as a larger international project, with the production linking Ghanaian and Nigerian performers and using Nzulezu as a central location.
Reports ahead of the September 30 arrival had identified Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko among the Nigerian stars expected to participate.
Their arrival has now confirmed the movement from announcement into the production phase. Ghana Broadcasting Corporation reported that the actors arrived in Accra on Wednesday and were received by Lil Win’s team.
The project is significant because Nollywood and Kumawood represent two of West Africa’s most recognisable popular film traditions.
While the industries have worked together previously, productions that deliberately combine established stars from both countries provide opportunities to reach audiences across national boundaries.
From A Country Called Ghana to A Journey to Africa
The new film follows Lil Win’s 2024 movie A Country Called Ghana.
That production also attracted Nigerian acting talent and was positioned as a collaboration between Ghana’s film industry and Nollywood.
The experience appears to have encouraged Lil Win to continue pursuing regional productions.
The new project was announced as a more ambitious undertaking, with the filmmaker previously discussing plans to attract international actors.
In a 2025 interview with Graphic Showbiz, Lil Win said he wanted to feature Hollywood actors in A Journey to Africa, but acknowledged that funding would be a major requirement for achieving that ambition.
The current cast demonstrates that the production has proceeded with an African regional model, bringing established Nigerian actors into a Ghanaian-led project.
That model has practical advantages.
Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest film industries and a large domestic and diaspora audience. Ghana has its own established film culture, actors, producers and locations.
A production that combines talent from both countries can potentially appeal to audiences familiar with either industry.
It also creates opportunities for actors and filmmakers to work outside their usual national production networks.
Who Is Joining the Production?
The Nigerian cast associated with the production includes veteran actors as well as younger and contemporary Nollywood personalities.
Kanayo O. Kanayo is one of Nollywood’s veteran performers, with a career spanning several decades.
Patience Ozokwor, widely known as Mama G, is another long-established figure in Nigerian cinema.
Mike Ezuruonye emerged as a prominent Nollywood actor during the 2000s and has remained active across film and television.
Zubby Michael is a contemporary Nigerian screen actor known for a large body of Nollywood work.
Destiny Etiko is also among the prominent contemporary Nigerian actors associated with the project.
Their combined presence gives the production a cast with different generations of Nollywood experience.
The Ghanaian side of the project is led by Lil Win, whose career includes acting, comedy and filmmaking.
The project has also been associated with other Ghanaian performers, with earlier reports identifying actors including Majid Michel and Adjetey Anang in preparations connected to the larger production.
The combination creates a cast structure in which established Nigerian actors work alongside Ghanaian performers.
Why Nzulezu?
The film’s subtitle, Nzulezu, points directly to its central location.
Nzulezu, located in Ghana’s Western Region, is a settlement constructed over the Amansuri wetland.
Its houses and pathways are built above water, giving the community a distinctive physical appearance.
The location has become one of Ghana’s notable cultural and tourism attractions.
Its inclusion in the title suggests that the setting is not merely a backdrop for the film.
Instead, the location is expected to form part of the identity of the project.
The decision also reflects a broader trend in African cinema in which filmmakers use distinctive local environments to give productions a stronger sense of place.
For Ghana, putting Nzulezu at the centre of an internationally oriented film offers an opportunity to introduce the location to audiences who may know little about it.
For Nigerian viewers, the presence of familiar Nollywood actors provides a point of connection with a distinctly Ghanaian setting.
For audiences elsewhere in Africa and the diaspora, the film can potentially present both the performers and the location as parts of a wider African story.
Film as a Bridge Between Two Industries
The Ghana-Nigeria relationship in popular entertainment has existed for decades.
Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians collaborate regularly, while actors have crossed national borders for productions, premieres and festivals.
Film cooperation has also been facilitated by the geographical proximity of the two countries and the shared popularity of English-language entertainment across West Africa.
Kumawood and Nollywood developed different identities, however.
Kumawood became particularly associated with Akan-language productions and Ghanaian popular culture, while Nollywood developed an enormous multilingual and English-language film ecosystem.
Cross-border productions can therefore combine different storytelling traditions.
The new Lil Win project provides another example of that process.
It is not simply a Nigerian film being shot in Ghana or a Ghanaian film using one Nigerian actor.
The production is being presented as an international project built around collaboration between Ghanaian and Nigerian talent.
That distinction matters because it creates room for the two industries to share audiences, production knowledge and creative resources.
The Business of Cross-Border Entertainment
Behind the glamour associated with a large cast is a practical business calculation.
Film production is expensive.
Actors, equipment, accommodation, transportation, locations, insurance, post-production, marketing and distribution all require funding.
A producer seeking to reach audiences in more than one country may therefore look for ways to combine established talent with distinctive locations.
A recognisable Nigerian cast can provide promotional value in Nigeria.
A Ghanaian setting can provide a sense of local identity and differentiate the film from productions made elsewhere.
A cross-border marketing strategy can potentially extend the commercial life of a film.
Digital platforms have made that possibility more significant.
A film no longer has to depend exclusively on theatrical distribution in the country where it was produced.
Streaming platforms, digital rentals, international television and diaspora audiences can give African productions access to viewers far beyond their original markets.
The scale of that opportunity varies from one production to another, and there is no guarantee that a cross-border cast will translate into commercial success.
But the structure of A Journey to Africa shows the continued interest among African filmmakers in building productions around regional rather than purely national audiences.
Nollywood’s Regional Influence
The involvement of several Nigerian actors also reflects Nollywood’s influence across Africa.
Nollywood films have long circulated through television, DVDs, cinemas, streaming services and informal distribution networks across the continent.
Nigerian actors have consequently become familiar faces to audiences who do not live in Nigeria.
That familiarity can be useful when an African filmmaker wants to attract viewers outside a domestic market.
For Lil Win, working with Nigerian stars provides access to that recognition while keeping a Ghanaian filmmaker and location at the centre of the project.
The arrangement creates a form of cultural exchange.
Nigerian actors bring their professional experience and audience recognition.
Ghanaian filmmakers bring local production networks, stories and locations.
The resulting film can then be marketed as an African collaboration rather than a production belonging exclusively to one national cinema.
Lil Win’s International Ambition
Lil Win has previously spoken about ambitions to take his filmmaking beyond Ghana.
His earlier international plans included the possibility of bringing major foreign actors into Ghanaian productions.
In 2025, he told Graphic Showbiz that financing was the major obstacle to his stated ambition of featuring Hollywood actors in A Journey to Africa.
The current project demonstrates a more immediately achievable form of international collaboration.
Rather than waiting for a Hollywood partnership, the production has assembled major talent from within Africa.
That approach places the project within the broader development of African film industries seeking to cooperate with one another.
It also reflects a growing interest in telling stories that can travel across borders without abandoning local settings.
The Importance of Familiar Faces
Casting is particularly important in popular film.
Audiences often choose films partly because they recognise performers.
For an international production, familiar actors can reduce the distance between viewers and an unfamiliar setting.
A Nigerian audience may not know Nzulezu personally, but viewers who recognise Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Zubby Michael or Destiny Etiko may be more immediately curious about a film featuring them in that environment.
The same principle works in Ghana.
Ghanaian audiences familiar with Lil Win can follow the project while encountering Nigerian actors they may already know from Nollywood.
This makes the cast itself part of the bridge between the two markets.
A Location With Cultural Value
Nzulezu gives the production another distinctive element.
The settlement's architecture and wetland environment are visually different from the urban locations that dominate many contemporary African films.
A film centred on such a location can create opportunities for cinematography, production design and storytelling that are strongly tied to place.
It can also place Ghanaian heritage before an international audience.
The cultural value of such representation depends on how the location is presented.
A location can be used simply as a visual attraction, or it can become part of the narrative.
The title A Journey to Africa (Nzulezu) suggests that the filmmakers intend the location to be central to the project's identity.
Beyond Entertainment
The production also has potential implications beyond cinema.
Film and tourism increasingly overlap.
When a movie prominently features a particular location, audiences can become curious about visiting that place.
This phenomenon has been observed internationally, although the scale of its impact differs by production.
For Ghana, the use of Nzulezu in a film featuring well-known Nigerian actors could give the location additional exposure among Nigerian and other African audiences.
Tourism interest, however, depends on factors beyond visibility.
Transport, accommodation, safety, conservation and visitor management all influence whether increased attention translates into sustainable tourism.
Nzulezu is also an environmentally sensitive wetland setting.
Any increase in visitors would therefore need to be managed in ways that protect the community and its surrounding environment.
Regional Cooperation in African Cinema
The production comes at a time when African filmmakers are increasingly looking beyond national borders.
The growth of streaming platforms has expanded interest in African stories.
At the same time, filmmakers face challenges involving financing, distribution, production infrastructure and access to international markets.
Regional partnerships offer one possible response.
A Nigerian actor may bring a large audience.
A Ghanaian producer may have access to a particular location or production network.
Another African country may provide financing, technical expertise or a distribution relationship.
Such cooperation can make it possible to build projects that would be more difficult to mount entirely within one national market.
A Journey to Africa fits into this broader pattern.
The film is being developed in Ghana, involves Nigerian actors and is built around a Ghanaian cultural site.
What the Production Represents for Nollywood
For Nollywood, the participation of established actors in foreign-led African productions demonstrates the continued mobility of Nigerian screen talent.
Nollywood actors are no longer confined to Nigerian productions.
They increasingly appear in Ghanaian films, international streaming projects, pan-African productions and other cross-border ventures.
This creates new professional opportunities.
It also exposes Nigerian performers to different production environments.
For actors, working across industries can broaden their portfolios.
For producers, the presence of Nigerian stars can help projects attract attention in one of Africa's largest entertainment markets.
For audiences, it creates opportunities to see familiar performers in different cultural settings.
Ghana’s Opportunity
The collaboration is equally relevant to Ghana's film industry.
Kumawood has built a strong domestic following, particularly through local-language entertainment.
But reaching larger international markets requires distribution, investment, production capacity and stories capable of travelling.
International collaborations can help Ghanaian filmmakers build relationships beyond the country's borders.
Lil Win's strategy is therefore not simply about casting Nigerian actors.
It represents an attempt to position Ghanaian film projects within a broader African entertainment marketplace.
The use of a distinctive Ghanaian location also ensures that the collaboration remains rooted in Ghana.
Lessons From the Earlier Film
A Country Called Ghana provides a reference point for the new project.
The earlier film featured Nigerian stars including Ramsey Nouah, Victor Osuagwu and Charles Awurum.
Lil Win subsequently pursued an even more ambitious international concept.
Reports on A Journey to Africa have described it as his second major international movie and a continuation of his effort to attract talent from outside Ghana.
The progression suggests an iterative approach.
The first project created experience in working with Nigerian talent.
The second brings another group of established Nigerian performers into a production built around a different Ghanaian location.
The long-term result will depend on the film itself, including its script, production quality, performances, distribution and audience reception.
Production Has Now Moved From Announcement to Action
The September 30 arrival is significant because it changes the status of the project.
For months, A Journey to Africa existed primarily as an announced project.
Lil Win had discussed its ambitions, Ghanaian actors had been associated with preparations and the Nigerian cast had been publicised.
The arrival of the Nigerian actors in Accra marks the practical beginning of the new phase.
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lil Win and his team were at the airport to welcome the actors.
The production can now proceed with the cast physically assembled in Ghana.
Details of the complete plot and final release schedule have not been fully disclosed in the reports surrounding the September 30 arrival.
That leaves the production's eventual storyline, release strategy and distribution arrangements to be confirmed by the filmmakers.
Audience Expectations
The assembly of well-known actors has already generated attention among entertainment audiences.
The combination of veteran performers such as Kanayo O. Kanayo and Patience Ozokwor with contemporary stars such as Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko gives the project broad name recognition.
The Ghanaian setting adds another point of interest.
But the presence of famous actors does not by itself determine the quality or commercial performance of a film.
The finished production will still depend on storytelling, direction, cinematography, sound, editing, production design and distribution.
The challenge for the filmmakers will be to ensure that the large cast and distinctive location serve the story rather than becoming the story by themselves.
A Wider African Audience
The title A Journey to Africa is itself notable.
It presents the project as something intended to travel beyond the immediate Ghanaian market.
The inclusion of Nzulezu in the title anchors that broad ambition to a specific Ghanaian place.
That combination—Africa as the wider frame and Nzulezu as the specific setting—could give the film a clear identity when it eventually reaches audiences.
For Nigerian viewers, it offers a Ghanaian setting with familiar Nollywood performers.
For Ghanaian viewers, it combines local filmmaking with recognisable Nigerian talent.
For audiences elsewhere, it provides an opportunity to encounter a Ghanaian location through a regional African cast.
The Cultural Exchange Behind the Cameras
Cross-border productions also involve exchanges that audiences may never see.
Crew members work together.
Directors and producers compare production practices.
Actors encounter different approaches to language, performance and filmmaking.
Technical teams may share equipment and expertise.
Local suppliers and service providers can become part of the production chain.
These interactions can be as significant to African cinema as the finished film.
If such collaborations become more frequent, they could contribute to a more interconnected West African film industry.
Instead of separate national markets operating largely independently, filmmakers could develop projects designed from the outset for multiple countries.
The Road Ahead
The immediate task for Lil Win and the production team is now to complete filming and move the project through post-production.
The eventual release date and distribution strategy will determine how audiences encounter the finished film.
A theatrical release could place the production in cinemas in Ghana and Nigeria.
Streaming could potentially take it to a much broader African and international audience.
Festivals could provide another route to international visibility.
The filmmakers have yet to fully define that pathway in the latest reports surrounding the September 30 arrival.
What has been established is that production is proceeding in Ghana with a major Nigerian contingent.
A New Chapter in Ghana-Nigeria Film Cooperation
The arrival of the Nollywood actors is more than a celebrity event at an airport.
It is the latest stage in a film project that illustrates the increasing interaction between two major West African entertainment industries.
Nigeria brings one of Africa's largest and most internationally recognised film ecosystems.
Ghana brings its own filmmaking traditions, performers and distinctive cultural locations.
A Journey to Africa (Nzulezu) places those resources in the same production.
The choice of Nzulezu gives the project a specifically Ghanaian visual and cultural identity, while the Nigerian cast provides a familiar connection for audiences across the border.
Lil Win's decision to continue pursuing international collaborations also reflects a broader ambition to expand the reach of Ghanaian filmmaking.
For Nollywood, the project provides another opportunity for established actors to work within a different African production environment.
For audiences, it offers the prospect of seeing familiar Nigerian stars alongside Ghanaian performers in a story rooted in one of Ghana's most distinctive locations.
The project also demonstrates how African filmmakers can build international productions without necessarily looking first to Europe or North America.
The collaboration is taking shape within Africa itself.
As filming begins, attention will turn to how the production translates its ambitious cast, Ghanaian location and cross-border concept into a finished movie.
For now, the arrival of Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko in Ghana marks a clear new stage for A Journey to Africa (Nzulezu).
The film's journey has moved from announcement to production, with Ghana and Nigeria once again sharing talent, audiences and creative resources in an attempt to build a story capable of travelling beyond either country's borders.
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