Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Abeiku Santana, has declared that he would rather remain in Ghana than relocate to the United States for a monthly salary of $100,000.
According to him, the opportunities available in Ghana are enormous, but many Ghanaians fail to recognise and take advantage of them.
Abeiku Santana made the remarks in a video shared on X, in which he challenged Ghanaians to change their perception of opportunities and begin looking at challenges as possibilities for creating businesses and livelihoods.
He explained that even a highly attractive financial offer from the United States or the United Kingdom would not be enough to convince him to leave Ghana.
“If you gave me a $100,000 monthly salary to live in America or to live in the UK, I’ll choose Ghana,” he said.
The GTA Deputy CEO argued that Ghana has significant opportunities that could provide meaningful economic prospects for people who are prepared to identify them and take action.
He noted that while many Ghanaians are quick to complain about difficulties in the country, foreigners who come to Ghana often identify those same challenges as areas where businesses can be established.
According to him, the difference is not necessarily the availability of opportunities but the willingness to act on them.
“Then foreigners or expatriates come; they see it, and they seize it. We see the opportunity, but we lament. We always complain,” he stated.
Abeiku Santana further described problems as potential opportunities, stressing that challenges can create room for innovation, entrepreneurship and employment.
“Anything that people are complaining about is an opportunity. Opportunity is work. Opportunity is problems. But we don’t like problems,” he added.
His comments come amid ongoing conversations about the desire of many young Africans to seek better economic prospects abroad.
While acknowledging the attraction of opportunities in countries such as the US and UK, Abeiku Santana’s message was that Ghanaians should also pay greater attention to the possibilities within the local economy.
He encouraged citizens to adopt a more solution-oriented mindset and explore ways of turning Ghana’s challenges into productive ventures rather than simply focusing on the difficulties.
