From Nigeria to Ghana: ‘Cooking with Gamechangers’ hits the screens

Cooking with GameChangers, one of Nigeria’s most exciting educational and entertainment cooking television shows, has crossed borders into the Ghanaian territory, featuring accomplished achievers whose all-around skills, especially culinary, are the catch.

Cooking With GameChangers premiered over the weekend in Accra, with the gamechangers, judges and hosts unveiled to special guests and industry icons from both countries.

This distinctive show, which combines personal storytelling with high-stakes cook-offs, has already captivated millions in Nigeria and across Africa. The show will be running on local channels like TV3 and Onua TV, DSTV Africa Magic Family, and B2G Network on YouTube for the next 18 weeks, bringing its vibrant energy to Ghana.

Seyi Banigbe, the show’s creator, explained that this is more than just a cooking competition. The innovative programme, she said, delivers a compelling blend of inspiration, personality and mouth-watering drama.

“The end goal is for people to watch every episode, pick lessons and understand why these people are becoming successful, and so, we took it from their homes to offices and after-work activities. We want the public to find answers to questions like, ‘what are they doing differently and what sets them apart?

“So, there is something to learn from everyone on this show and an important point is that it is more transformative when learning from people who are not within your professional sector. In short, watch and learn something from everyone because success has a way it talks, thinks and principles it follows, that is why we are bringing this to your screens,” Seyi said.

Each episode follows a high-achieving business executive, offering viewers a rare glimpse into the people behind the professional success, before they step into the kitchen to compete for the coveted title of ‘Ultimate GameChanger.’

Panel of Judges

The Ghana edition features an impressive panel of judges made up of some of the country’s most celebrated and accomplished figures across entertainment, business and culture.

The producers described the judges as gamechangers in their own right, carefully selected because the contestants are not professional chefs.

Instead of bringing in only culinary experts, the show opted for personalities who can judge the meals as everyday people with taste, honesty and strong perspectives.

The judging panel features Majid Michel, an award-winning actor; Joselyn Dumas, an acclaimed actress, television host and producer; Kobby Addai, a seasoned tech entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Noldith; and Seyi Banigbe the creative force behind Cooking with Gamechangers, who is a lawyer, serial entrepreneur and media executive.

Award-winning Actor James Gardiner emerges as the host for this Ghana Edition. He brings on board his charm, wit and a phenomenal sense of humour as one of Ghana’s most beloved actors and television personalities.

Known for his magnetic screen presence and ability to connect with any audience, James brings exactly the right energy to ‘Cooking with Gamechangers.’

Kobby Addai, in an interview, said, “My experience on this programme as a judge was unexplainable. It is something outside my comfort zone because, coming from a technology and IT background, being on set was a whole different experience for me.”

He added, “One important thing everybody must know is that cooking is a very important basic thing that everyone must know. It is a survival skill and not a reserve for a particular people or gender.”

He also commended the creators for using something as basic as cooking to help the public get to know and understand the background stories of role models they look up to.

The Gamechangers

The show features an extraordinary lineup of gamechangers who bring the drama, personality and unpredictability that make ‘Cooking with Gamechangers’ truly unmissable.

Despite their success in their respective fields, these Gamechangers are about to face their most unexpected challenge yet. From the boardroom to the kitchen, these gamechangers are putting their reputations, their pride and their cooking skills on the line and the results are as entertaining as they are surprising.

The first episode of this year’s edition is a face-off between the personality behind the popular Ghana food brand Nyo Nyo Essential, Chichi Yakubu, vs the Founder cum CEO of Africa’s number one watch-making brand, Caveman Watches, Anthony Mensah Dzamefe.

Chichi is expected to deliver a signature waakye she described as ‘Zongo Waakye,’ whilst Anthony Dzamefe brags to move from the boardroom to the kitchen to deliver a signature ‘Cave Waakye’ to thrill the judges and audience.

Food as Universal Language

While food remains central to the format, the producers say the show is not inspired by the popular Ghana-Nigeria jollof debate. Rather, food is used as a universal language and a reminder that cooking is a survival skill everyone should possess. Watching top executives and personalities struggle, laugh and compete in the kitchen is also a deliberate way of showing that successful people are human too.

Top local dishes to expect include Akple with aborbi tadi, fufu & light soup, waakye, omotuo & nkate nkwan, banku & okro soup, gobe & plantain, kenkey and Ghana jollof.

The Ghana premiere was nothing short of excitement as it made a cultural statement with its unique food ingredient-inspired dress code.

The concept pays homage to the heart of the show and the guests appeared in grand style, creatively interpreting Ghanaian food ingredients through fashion. Red chilli pepper, cucumber, lettuce, carrot, tomatoes and mixed vegetables were some stand out dresses on the night.

The producers emphasised that people become what they consistently see and by exposing audiences to stories of success, resilience and possibility, the show hopes to inspire more Africans to build boldly.

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