## Lekzy De Comic wants brands to take Ghanaian comedy more seriously

Ghanaian comedian Lekzy De Comic has a message for corporate Ghana: comedy needs more than laughter and applause to grow - it needs investment.

After more than a decade in the industry, the stand-up comedian is calling for stronger corporate support for local comedy, arguing that producing quality shows requires money for venues, production, promotion and other expenses long before an audience takes its seats.

His comments have reopened a simple but important conversation about the Ghana comedy industry: if audiences are increasingly willing to pay to watch local comedians, why does the sector still struggle to attract the level of brand money needed to grow?

What support does Lekzy want?

According to 3News, Lekzy believes corporate sponsorship can help comedians produce better shows, reach larger audiences and create more opportunities for other performers.

In plain terms, putting together a comedy show costs money.

A comedian may have great jokes and a loyal following, but someone still has to pay for the auditorium, sound, lighting, advertising, technical crews and other production expenses.

Without sponsors, much of that financial risk can fall on the comedian or promoter.

That is why brand support for comedians matters.

Sponsorship can reduce some of that pressure while giving companies access to the audiences comedians have built.

Lekzy has raised similar concerns before. In a 2025 interview with Graphic Showbiz, he argued that local comedians deserved better payment from event organisers and complained that foreign comedians could sometimes receive higher fees than Ghanaian performers.

“The industry should see stand-up comedy as a big force,” he said at the time.

Ghanaian comedy is showing it can attract crowds

The call for investment comes at a time when there is evidence that local comedy can pull audiences.

Comedian OB Amponsah filled the 4,000-capacity Bukom Boxing Arena for his 10th anniversary comedy special in December 2024. More recently, MC Okokobioko drew thousands to the Accra National Theatre for the fourth edition of his Comfortably Struggling comedy special.

Lekzy has also been building his own live-show catalogue.

Since 2021, he has staged productions including Too Cute to Be Mute, CanPAIN MESSage, The New False and A Fool in April.

His April 2026 show featured comedians including Romanus, Ebenezer Dwomoh, Leslie, Jacinta, Kojo Pjay and Parrot Mouth. It also demonstrated what brand involvement can look like: Evivi Foods was headline sponsor, with additional support from other businesses.

His next major production, Lekzy Unleashed: The Godfather Edition, is scheduled for November 7 at the UPSA Auditorium and is designed to bring together comedians from four generations of Ghanaian comedy.

Why brand money can still be difficult

The challenge is not necessarily that Ghana lacks talented comedians.

It is turning comedy into a business that companies consistently see as worth investing in.

Music concerts, football events and major entertainment programmes often offer brands familiar sponsorship packages and large audiences. Comedy has to compete for money from many of those same corporate marketing budgets.

For comedians, proving commercial value therefore becomes almost as important as delivering jokes.

Brands want to know how many people will attend, who those people are, how much online attention an event can generate and what visibility they receive in return.

That can be difficult for an industry still developing stronger commercial structures.

Lekzy has previously argued that Ghana tends to build individual stars instead of building an entertainment industry around them. His current call for corporate involvement fits into that bigger concern.

What it could mean for young comedians

More investment would not benefit only established performers like Lekzy De Comic.

Young comedians need stages.

A well-funded comedy show can employ supporting acts, writers, production crews, photographers, videographers and other creatives. It can also give an upcoming comedian the opportunity to perform in front of an audience that might otherwise never discover them.

Better-funded productions could also make it easier for promoters to take chances on emerging talent rather than relying entirely on already-famous names to sell tickets.

That creates a pathway: perform as an opening act, build an audience, develop a stronger act and eventually headline a show.

Without those opportunities, talented young comics can find themselves trying to build careers almost entirely through social media.

Beyond the jokes

Ghanaian comedy has clearly moved forward.

Comedians are headlining their own events, filling recognised venues and developing annual shows instead of appearing only as short supporting acts at music concerts.

The next question is whether the business around the comedy can grow at the same pace.

Lekzy's argument is that corporate Ghana has a role to play.

For brands, supporting comedy offers access to entertainment audiences. For established comedians, sponsorship can mean better production and less financial pressure. And for younger performers, a stronger industry can create more stages on which to build careers.

The audience may only see the microphone, the comedian and the jokes.

Behind that laughter, however, somebody still has to pay for the lights to come on.