They trust Ghana with their money, but not their business [ARTICLE]

By Purity Bosson

Today, I’m choosing to talk about an uncomfortable truth.
Why is it that foreign nationals—Chinese, Indians, Lebanese, name them—can come into Ghana, invest confidently, and build profitable businesses, yet still refuse to place Ghanaians in the most critical roles?

Walk into China Mall, and you’ll immediately see what I mean.
They trust the country with their money, but not the people with their business. Why?

Is it because Ghanaians are expensive to hire? No. In fact, we are cheaper.
So what’s the real issue?

I asked several Ghanaian business owners this exact question. Their answers were painfully consistent. After raising capital, their biggest struggle wasn’t competition or taxes—it was people. One employer told me bluntly, “As a small startup, the moment you take one eye off the business, you’re finished.”

That should worry us.

So let’s ask the hard questions: How is the Ghanaian work ethic truly perceived?
And more importantly—are we being honest with ourselves?

As a young entrepreneur hungry for success—not slow success, but real growth—I went searching for answers.

My mentor once told me something that hit hard:
“Purity, there are no shortcuts. Excellence is built on ruthless discipline, strong work ethic, and an obsession with mastering your craft.”

The uncomfortable truth is this: your work ethic is one thing nobody can take away from you—and yet many of us treat it casually.

If we want different results, we must do the uncomfortable work.
Wake up and do what you don’t feel like doing.
Push past mediocrity.
Outgrow laziness.
Challenge entitlement.

We train our bodies at the gym but neglect the discipline that builds empires. Work ethic must be forged, trained, and strengthened—daily.
Until we fix this, others will keep trusting us with labour, but never with leadership.

And yes—that’s a hard pill to swallow. But it’s one we must take if our narrative is ever going to change.

The writer is the Executive Director of Impact Careerpoint.