Meet Cecilia Anno-Barnieh:Actress, Model And Fitness Guru

Since the popular drama series, Sadia, premiered on TV3 last December, many fans and followers of the Ghanaian series have wondered who the feisty lady who plays Farida Gibson is.

Farida is a no-nonsense lady who speaks her mind without mincing words. Over the past five months, Farida has gained notoriety for being opinionated, loud, vocal and blunt; and that character is nicely executed by the rising Ghanaian actress, Cecilia Anno-Barnieh.

Cecilia and her parents moved to Ghana soon after she was born in England in the 80s. She attended Christ the King School in Accra in her early years, but returned to England when she was nine. There, she continued with her primary education and later attended Maria Fidelis Convent School for her secondary education. Few years later, she enrolled at the East London University where she studied BA in Surface Decoration.

When she turned 18, Cecilia decided to visit Ghana for the first time as an adult, and it was during this time that she developed the idea of resettling in Ghana, and so in 2010, she returned to Ghana and has been in Accra since then.

Having developed keen interest and great skills in front of the camera, a passionate Cecilia explored opportunities of being in the acting and modeling space. Once in Ghana, she worked with Apex Production on her first major role in the Royal Aroma Rice advert on television, which was followed by Country Milk. Cecilia has also successfully worked as a model for brands such as Flamingo makeover and Inglot Cosmetics Ghana. Apart from modelling, she runs a successful spinning aerobics class at a fitness health club.

Cecilia was also a regular panelist on ‘Love is’, a reality dating TV series about relationships with testimonies and confessions from people. Produced by Agnes Ntow, the show primarily featured panelists like Cecilia who advised the audience and shared their opinions on topics discussed. But her big break came when she joined the cast of Sadia as Farida Gibson. Based on a true Ghanaian story, Sadia chronicles the life of the protagonist — telling a compelling Ghanaian story that will certainly touch the heartstrings of viewers. It is a suspense filled drama series that travels from the North through to the South with lots of life lessons for every viewer. With a fusion of Twi, Hausa, Fante, Ewe, Ga and English, Sadia paints a true reflection of the Ghanaian culture.

Cecilia’s role depicts how an only child educated abroad, returns home to run her father’s business. She stars alongside Akumaa Mama Zimbi, Harold Amenya, among others.

Although very busy, Cecilia tries to make time for herself, and whenever she makes time, she likes to work out a lot. Her favourite food is banku with okra soup and also enjoy fried yam with pepper.

To see more of Cecilia, catch her every Monday and Tuesday at 8:00pm as she stars as Farida in Sadia.