Why Moving Back To The Motherland Has Become Appealing: Ghana

As some of you are aware of, Ghana has finally elected a new President, Nana Akufo-Addo from the New Patriotic Party. For Ghanaians in Ghana and based abroad, this comes as a sigh of relief and the genuine feeling of change. For the past couple of years, the economy has dwindled significantly. The unemployent rate has increased with educated individals with the right skill sets struggling to find work. In 2015, the persistent and rather frustrating electric power outages were becoming an issue. However, I personally chose to overlook the negatives still finding some positives in Ghana. Regarding the lack of jobs, however you can still argue that the country is constantly in developing mode. A number of industries such as Real estate, technology and media are still flourishing. The number of individuals that have packed their bags and left their comfort zones for the sunnier shores of Accra. Ghana has seen a dramatic rise of expats in the past number of years. Global companies based in the capital are screaming for international talent that have the transferable skills. Our experiences and expertise seems to be truly appreciated over there.

As an individual that was born and bred in the UK, my first visit to Ghana was at the tender age of 9 years old. Leaving my comfort zone to a foreign land that was the birth place of my parents. Twenty years later the memories are still as vivid as ever. The Ghana I know now, is completely different to the Ghana in 1997. The rise of individuals from foreign shores who have set up their own buisnesses such as the Asians, Americans and British, a plethora of different nationalities. People are moving from countries such as Jamaica to Ghana for a ‘calmer way of life’. Interestingly technology and media over there is finally catching up with the Western world. I personally have always had an appreciation for Ghana as I feel there are more job opportunities and most importantly the opportunity to fulfil your dreams. Unfortunately in the UK, I have noticed there is a certain glass ceiling, which prevents you from moving up. Regardless of how educated you are, you may have all the desired skill sets in the world however for an individual of colour it is not as easy to climb the ranks compared to our White counterparts. The UK can be rigid at times, I find it can be very systematic which is not always a bad thing however in Ghana there is room for growth to be yourself and more flexibility. I was speaking to a colleague once and I told him I wanted to relocate to Ghana eventually and he looked at me and responded, “why would you want to move to a country where your parents left for a better life, it’s a bit backwards isn’t it? “. Previously in the past, family members have tried to deter me from the idea of moving to the country that they were born and raised in. I remember once, my Grandmother’s brother who lived here for over 40 years referred to Ghana as ‘that uncivilised place’. So why do, educated individuals such as myself with an abundance of skills and experience move to a third world country? Where life can be deemed as unpredictable and throwing you out of your comfort zones. Let’s delve into this further.

Expats in Accra
On a recent trip to Ghana, I met a lady who was based in the UK and decided to move back to Ghana four years ago, interestingly we both worked in the same industry, Advertising/Marketing. She confirmed the same thoughts, I had thought about relocating. ‘London is too rigid’. ‘The lifestyle in Ghana is great and the amount of networking opportunities at the moment in our industry is booming’. We both could relate with each other and she encouraged me to come down for a few months and take it from there, the advice I get mostly, before making that big step. Earlier this year, on another trip to Ghana, I met a girl at the airport who too was born and bred in the UK and decided to relocate back. She worked for Ogilvy and Mathers in Accra (one of the biggest advertising, marketing and public relation agency’s in the world). During my recent trip, I was having dinner at one of the hotels and an advertising agency who offers a range of marketing and communication disciplines, a few of the colleagues were having a dinner meeting and me being in the same industry couldn’t help but observe the number of international faces that were in the team. From Asians to Whites, it genuinely took me by surprise. So, what is attracting expats to Ghana? Surely it can’t just be the exotic climate and genuine kind hospitality of the Ghanaians. As I explained briefly, there is a limit of how high you can go whilst working in London. With the new government in place, the NPP party tends to attract affluent foreign investors. Investing in all sectors of the economy from insurance services to manufacturing, you name it. Real Estate in Ghana is one of the biggest and flourishing industries at the moment. The government of Ghana are implementing ideas to develop a thriving private sector to create a plethora of job opportunities. Even though African economies are still considered as relatively young it is still flourishing. Expats from abroad are becoming desirable.

The diaspora

There has been a rise of young professionals born in the UK and America to Ghanaian parents actively choosing to migrate ‘back home’. The African diaspora is starting to come back, due to the new growth in certain industries. Some individuals that have relocated have often said ‘the need to give back’. Afua Hirsch (social affairs and education editor from Sky news) who moved to Ghana for work, talks about her experience of moving back home to some of her family and friends dismay. You can read the article here ( https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/26/ghana-returnees-afua-hirsch-africa ). Jerry Parkes also born in the UK, he moved back to Ghana in 2009 and started an investment company called Injaro Investments. Jerry commented on a YouTube channel, “even though you are a bigger fish in a smaller pond your networks are more valuable”. There are many more, that have chosen to take their skills abroad.

Lorissa Akua ‘The only way is Ghana’

CEO of Regal Vision Real Estate

I have previously written about Lorissa in a previous post. She was recently on CNN Africa discussing the latest elections in Ghana. Lorissa took the bold step to relocate from London to Ghana to start her own real estate company, she has documented her move on her social media platforms, I would recommend anyone that would like to relocate to Ghana, to check her out. On her YouTube channel called ‘The only way is Ghana’, she discusses the pros and cons of living in Ghana. Great advantages such as ‘meeting new business contacts and becoming business partners’. She can be found on Instagram ‘The only way is Ghana’. If you are interested in Real Estate, I would definitely check her out.

Eugene Hagan-Scott
Head of Estates (Clifton Homes Accra)

Clifton homes is a construction company who have made their name in Accra for building quality apartments. The founders are British and they recently celebrated their fifth anniversary last year. Clifton homes is the fastest residential developer in Ghana, creating a plethora of jobs. Eugene is an example that determination and perseverance can get you ahead of the game. Growing up with Eugene, he has always been an exemplary figure of hard work and commitment. At the tender age of 28, Eugene decided to relocate to Ghana only a few months ago, me and him had a conversation earlier in the year about relocating to Ghana and next thing I knew, he had packed up his bags and decided to make the bold move. Eugene initially applied for the role as a Sales Executive and ended up working as the head of estates. He gave me the opportunity to explore the amazing sites and I couldn’t believe everyone was calling this young man ‘Sir/Boss’. He has taught me that sometimes you have to take that leap of faith and it will pay off.

Gabby Otchere-Darko
Lawyer and Journalist

Born and bred in Chelsea from an affluent family. He moved to Ghana over 10 years ago, Mr Otchere-Darko who is actually my mum’s cousin. I remember us two having a conversation during lunch and he explained it is a lot harder to make it in the UK and the amount of money he saw in the first couple of years of him being in Ghana, he would never of saw that in London. However as much as he reaped the benefits of his hardwork. He also made it very clear that, relocating is not an easy slog and it is not for the faint hearted. Another success story from the UK, who is heavily now into politics. He can be found on Twitter, expressing his opinions(GabbyDarko).

The above are examples, that it is possible to create opportunities for yourself in Ghana or go as an expat as Eugene did. I come across so many British Ghanaians who are now starting their own businesses in Accra whilst living here. Almost every other day, I hear or see on social media that another individual is making that bold move. What are you waiting for? There are opportunities and growth in the motherland. However, there are some lows, I have heard of stories and know people personally that have gone to Ghana for a better lifestyle and have come back within 6 months. Let’s be honest, living in Ghana is not for everyone and it is definitely not for the faint hearted. It is a completely different world, as much as I love Ghanaians they can be in their own little world at times and don’t get me wrong that is not necessarily a bad thing. On the otherhand Accra, is a great place to grow and create opportunities. I would love to hear other people’s experiences on wanting to move to Ghana or have taken that bold step.

Thanks for reading.