In a significant endorsement of Ghanaian creative excellence on the continental stage, the Academy of Sotigui has officially appointed renowned casting director and Africa Image Ambassador Mawuko Kuadzi as its Representative in Ghana.
The appointment, formalized in a letter signed by Sotigui Academy President Evrard Jean Kevin Mone, tasks Kuadzi with strengthening the presence and influence of the Sotigui Awards across Ghana’s cultural and film landscape.
The Sotigui Awards, organised by the Academy of Sotigui and governed by the Association for the Promotion of African and Diaspora Cinema in partnership with FESPACO, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou is a premier continental celebration honouring African actors from across the continent and the diaspora.
The Awards, now in their tenth edition, have become a vital platform for recognizing the contributions of film professionals who project the authentic image of Africa through their craft.
Mawuko Kuadzi’s appointment as the Sotigui Awards Representative in Ghana is a natural progression for a professional whose career has become synonymous with Pan-African creative integration.
As the Founder and CEO of MK Casting, Mawuko Kuadzi has been at the forefront of connecting African talent to global opportunities.
He made history as the first African to win the prestigious Artios Award in its 40-year history, taking home the Best Casting for a Commercial award at the 40th Artios Awards for his work on the NFL Super Bowl commercial
“Born to Play”. He followed this with a second victory at the 41st Artios Awards, winning the Best International Feature category for his casting work on “The Fisherman,” defeating nominees from Japan and Germany.
He affirmed his professional excellence by winning the inaugural casting director category at the 15th Ghana Movie Awards 2026.
In his new role, Mawuko Kuadzi’s mission includes representing the Sotigui Awards in Ghana, strengthening relationships with film and cultural professionals, supporting the visibility and promotion of Sotigui activities, contributing to the development of partnerships and collaborations, and facilitating exchanges between the Academy of Sotigui and Ghanaian cinema professionals.
This appointment is the latest in a series of Pan-African recognitions for Kuadzi.
In 2025, he was appointed to the jury of the Uganda Film Festival (UFF), solidifying his position as a leading figure in Africa’s creative landscape.
His presence on the UFF jury underscored his commitment to raising professional standards across Africa’s creative industry and his expertise in talent management and casting.
He also serves as a juror for the Africa Monologue Challenge (AMC), a Pan-African storytelling competition he co-founded with the African Chamber of Content Producers and the National Film Authority of Ghana, which discovers talent from across the continent.
The Africa Monologue Challenge, now in its third season, has become a hub for Africa’s development through storytelling, cultural exchange, and continental partnerships, attracting thousands of submissions from across Africa and the diaspora.
The Executive Council of the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP) has extended its warmest congratulations to Mawuko Kuadzi on his appointment, celebrating it as a reflection of his relentless commitment to advancing Africa’s creative economy.
As an Africa Image Ambassador holding the highest rank of Sectoral Content Fellow (SCF) in the Media and Culture sector, Kuadzi embodies the Chamber’s mission to project, protect, and propel the authentic image of Africa through content and conduct.
“Mawuko Kuadzi’s appointment as the Sotigui Awards Representative for Ghana is a proud moment not just for him, but for the entire ACCP network and for Ghana,” said Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, President of the African Chamber of Content Producers.
“His consistent excellence on the global stage from his historic Artios wins to his service as a juror for the Uganda Film Festival and the Africa Monologue Challenge demonstrates the power of African creativity when it is nurtured and given a continental platform.
This appointment is a recognition of his Pan-African vision and his commitment to building bridges across the creative industries of our continent.”
Mawuko Kuadzi’s appointment comes at a time when the African creative economy is increasingly recognized as a driver of continental integration and economic growth.
By facilitating exchanges between the Sotigui Academy and Ghanaian professionals, Mawuko Kuadzi is expected to play a pivotal role in deepening collaboration between Francophone and Anglophone film industries, a critical step towards realizing the vision of a unified African creative market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mawuko Kuadzi’s recent achievements have positioned him as a standard-bearer for African creative excellence.
His back-to-back Artios wins, his service on international juries, and his leadership of the Africa Monologue Challenge have all contributed to a growing recognition that African talent can compete with and triumph over the world’s most established creative markets.
As the Sotigui Awards Representative in Ghana, Mawuko Kuadzi will now help ensure that Ghanaian and West African film professionals are fully integrated into the continental recognition ecosystem that the Awards represent.
His appointment is a bridge between the creative industries of Ghana, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and the broader African continent, a powerful expression of the strength of Pan-African collaboration in the arts.