Business mogul Mr Ibrahim Mahama has issued a passionate appeal to Ghanaians living in South Africa to return home, promising support for them.
During an engagement with the Ghanaian High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quanshie and a victim of Xenophobic attacks, he urged the Ghanaian community abroad to reconsider staying overseas.
“Ambassador, if there are any other people like him, let them all come back home. Let them come. There’s so much opportunity here for them,” he said.
Opportunities
Mr Mahama dismissed the notion that Ghana lacks resources, arguing instead that the challenge lies in how resources are deployed.
“Ghana is not a broke country. It’s just that we don’t know where to put our money. There are people who really need just a small help,” he stated.
He contrasted the potential returns from local business with the modest earnings many Ghanaians make abroad, using Emmanuel Asamoah’s situation as an example.
“He was doing nails, earning like 1,700 to 3,000 rand a month. That’s nothing. Even if you help 100 people out of 200 to do well here, it’s better than struggling there.”
Discipline
However, Mr Mahama also offered a frank assessment of what he sees as a major obstacle to business success in Ghana: lack of discipline.
“Most of the people are not disciplined. You create a business for somebody, and the person is making a profit in the end. This person is going to buy and enjoy the money,” he said.
He explained that his expectation is for profits to be reinvested into the business.
“Ghanaians can be good business people, but the problem is just the discipline. He thinks that every capital is a pocket. So he will just enjoy.”
Mr Mahama contrasted that mindset with his own journey. “I started with nothing, just trust. In this world, it’s just trust. Your word. If I say I’ll pay you in two weeks, when I get the money, I’ll pay. That’s the trust you need to build.”
Self-Reliance
The businessman urged Ghanaians to believe in their ability to develop the nation without relying on foreign aid.
“Let’s make this seem to Ghanaians that we can help ourselves to develop. We don’t need anybody. The kind of money we have here, if we turn it inwards, we will make a lot of money,” he said.
He gave a practical example of how a simple business model could transform a life.
“There are contractors going to do projects. He is a lucky boy. Just go and take the cement, sell it. He gets his money, and he pays the cement back. He sells 1 million Ghana cedis worth. He makes 100,000 or even 70,000. It’s better than going to seek any employment in any country.”
Helping Others
Mr Mahama explained that his motivation for helping individuals like Emmanuel Asamoah goes beyond charity.
He hopes that those he assists will, in turn, help others, including his own children in the future.
“If he does well today, my children who are younger tomorrow, he will tell them that your father is a good man, your father helped me. Possibly, he can also help my children. That is the ripple effect,” he said.
Story by Linda Asare
Source:
opemsuo.com