‘Build yourself before marriage’ — Women told

Ghanaian beauty entrepreneur and founder of The Prikels Hair Company, Priscilla Serwah Akoto, popularly known as Serwaa Prikels, has advised young women to prioritise financial independence and self-development over marriage.

The CEO of Prikels Hair Lounge & Spa and Prikels Training Academy in Accra made the call in a TikTok video which has since gone viral.

In the video, Serwaa Prikels advised ladies to chase financial stability before chasing marriage, clarifying that her message was not to encourage money consciousness but self-building.

“Ladies, chase money before you chase marriage, and before you think I’m telling you to become money hungry, hear me out. I mean, build yourself first. In your 20s, don’t make finding a man your biggest achievement,” she stated.

According to her, young women should focus on learning how to make and manage money, building their careers and businesses, as well as investing in themselves.

“Learn how to make money. Learn how to manage money. Build your career. Build your business. Invest in yourself. Train the life that you actually love. Because love is beautiful, but love without options can make you tolerate things you shouldn’t,” she pointed out.

The entrepreneur further stressed that financial independence gives women options and the power to walk away from abusive and unhealthy relationships.

“And I’m not just talking about a little disagreement. If you’re being abused, disrespected, controlled, or made to feel like you have nowhere to go, you deserve to know that you have the plans. Your safety should never depend on whether you have enough money to walk away,” she added.

“But when you have your own money, your own life, your own purpose, it gives you something incredibly powerful. Options. You’re not choosing a man because you need him to save you. You’re choosing him because you genuinely want him.”

Serwaa Prikels also encouraged women to build themselves so that marriage becomes an addition to their lives and not a trap.

“Honestly, I wish more ladies understood this earlier. Build yourself, ladies, because marriage should add to your life and not become the reason you’re afraid to leave one that is hurting you,” she stated.