Ramsey Nouah Explains Why He Has Never Won an AMVCA as an Actor

Ramsey Nouah Explains Why He Has Never Won an AMVCA as an Actor

Nollywood actor and director Ramsey Nouah has said he has never won an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) as an actor, attributing a past Best Actor loss to the voting system of the time. He made the remarks on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, according to The Nation and other outlets.

What Ramsey Nouah said

Nouah recalled that he was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the film 76, and lost. He said the nominees included himself, Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) and the late Olu Jacobs.

He explained that the award was then decided mainly by viewers’ votes, unlike today’s format, which balances public votes with a jury’s decision. In his view, that favoured nominees with a bigger social media following.

“I never won an AMVCA,” he said, as quoted by Naija News. He said he and his fellow nominees were not strong on social media at the time, which he linked to the loss. The reports reviewed do not name the winner.

Background and timeline

Nouah’s remark concerns acting awards only. Legit.ng notes that he has won Best Director at the AMVCA twice, for Living in Bondage: Breaking Free and Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story.

ThisDay reported in 2020 that the Best Director win for Living in Bondage: Breaking Free was Nouah’s first AMVCA win. BusinessDay later reported his 2022 win for Rattlesnake.

Legit.ng says Nouah began acting in the early 1990s and later moved into directing with his 2019 debut, Living in Bondage: Breaking Free. Legit.ng describes him as one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces. ThisDay described him in 2020 as an experienced actor with more than two decades in Nollywood. Nouah was born in Lagos in 1970, according to Wikipedia. BusinessDay notes he has also produced films, including Elephant in the Room.

Outlets differ on the year of that nomination, so it is not stated here.

Timeline:

2013: AMVCA launched, per ThisDay.
2020: Nouah wins Best Director for Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.
2022: Wins Best Director again for Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story.
October 2026: Podcast remarks on his Best Actor loss reported.

Reactions and the other side

The awards are presented by MultiChoice, according to Wikipedia, and no comment from the company appeared in the reports reviewed. Nouah’s account of how the older voting system worked therefore remains his own view.

Legit.ng, Naija News and Prompt News carried similar accounts of the podcast. Joydey9ja.com has not viewed the full podcast, so the quotes are given as the outlets published them.

Why it matters and what happens next

The Journal Nigeria says his comments highlight how the AMVCA voting process has changed and how social media now shapes public recognition. Nouah’s own record shows a different side: his AMVCA wins have come in directing, not acting.