The availability of jobs in Ghana is limited, so most citizens create their own opportunities. Survival fuels creativity, and as a result, entrepreneurship becomes second nature. Daybreak doesn’t just begin with the crowing of roosters. It’s accompanied by the clanging of bells, the beat of a drum, or a loud cry announcing a product or service.
Imagine this: door-to-door offerings that range from manicures and pedicures (though I’ll pass on that one), to an assortment of fruits, steaming porridge for breakfast, pest control services, boiled eggs, beans and peas, homemade pastries, chilled beverages, belts, boxer shorts, and even fresh coconut water, served by the hacking of a machete right before your eyes.
Lightweight goods balance effortlessly on the heads of entrepreneurs, who signal their presence with a distinct clench of the teeth, producing a hissing sound like a snake. If you respond with the same sound, they’ll rush to your side with impressive responsiveness. In Ghana, resourcefulness isn’t optional—it’s a lifestyle.
The Local’s Daily Grind
Neighborhoods in Accra are alive with small businesses—provision stores, seamstress shops, hair salons, shoemakers, “sports” bars, pharmacies, hotels, and restaurants. Many of these stationary businesses are attached to, or steps away from, the proprietor’s home. It’s a picture of resourcefulness and hard work.
On your morning jog at 5:30 a.m., you see it firsthand. Proprietors, apprentices, and even children are already awake, sweeping storefronts, fetching water, pounding fufu, or burning refuse. The air is filled with movement and sound. Mates of tro-tros shouting their final destinations like auctioneers, taxis signaling for passengers with swift hand gestures, and the rhythm of a city coming alive.
By the time you jog back home, those businesses are open and ready. Set to serve passersby on their daily routes. In Accra, the workday doesn’t just begin early. It begins with energy, purpose, and a collective drive for survival and success.
Burning The Ships
Accra is truly a hub for small businesses. People travel from all over Ghana to seek opportunities here—sometimes arriving with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, a small travel bag, bus fare, and a single driving force: the desire to succeed.
Napoleon Hill, in his classic Think & Grow Rich, wrote:
“DESIRE is the starting point of all achievement and the first step toward riches.”
You see that truth everywhere in Accra. Migrants come with a “win or perish” mentality, what Hill calls “a burning desire to win.”
Hill illustrates this mindset through the story of a great warrior who, after sailing to battle, ordered his army to burn the ships that carried them. He told his men:
“You see the boats going up in smoke. That means we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice—we win or we perish!”
And They Won
In many ways, I recognize that same determination in my own journey. In 2018, I sold all my belongings, resigned from my job, and moved thousands of miles away from my support system—driven by love and a search for purpose. Like those soldiers, I burned my ships.
It’s win or perish. I survived living abroad, but I am still learning through experience, self-education, and trial and error. With each step, I’m moving closer to living my life of more and proving that, in the game of life, you choose to win.
You can’t help but be inspired by the locals’ daily grind. Despite the challenges of a tropical climate, poor infrastructure, and physically demanding work, the people of Ghana persist. They rise each day with determination, refusing to give up, and their resilience fuels your own.
By observing their work ethic, I’ve discovered a new way of working—one that values persistence, gratitude, and strength in the face of obstacles. It can reshape how you think, live, and approach your own path.
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Thank you for sharing another great story!!!. I plan to WIN as well at this game called life too.