Okyere Shares His Experience of Traveling to Dubai and Building a Life in Ghana
Okyere, a Ghanaian entrepreneur, shared his journey on Daily Hustle GH with DJ Nyaami, detailing his struggles and successes after a failed attempt to build a life abroad.
In 2017, Okyere traveled to Dubai without an agent, believing he had a job opportunity waiting for him.
However, after spending one to two months searching for employment and distributing his CV, he found himself sleeping on the streets.
Despite carrying a large sum of money to pay an agent, he ended up stranded with no job.
As his visa neared expiration, some companies demanded 2,000 dirhams before processing his documents. Eventually, he realized these were scams meant to take advantage of desperate job seekers.
After overstaying his visa by two months and three weeks, Okyere decided to return to Ghana. With no money left, a Nigerian stranger at the airport helped him by paying for his flight ticket and giving him $50, which was all he had upon arriving back home.
Before traveling, Okyere had been working at an MTN office in Brekum, registering SIM cards, which earned him a good income.
However, someone convinced him that he could earn three times his salary in Dubai.
Trusting an elder who had sent his three children abroad, he paid GHC 10,000 to travel, only to later discover that even the elder’s children were jobless.
Upon returning to Ghana, Okyere faced ridicule and gossip in his hometown, Berekum. However, he found motivation through watching Daily Hustle GH, where he learned from others’ experiences abroad.
With encouragement from his wife, who was then his girlfriend, he decided to focus on building a stable life in Ghana instead of traveling again.
Starting small, Okyere used savings from his mobile money business and financial support from his family to invest in land.
He bought his first plot for GHC 4,000 and later sold it for GHC 8,000. This strategy helped him acquire four to five plots of land.
He reserved one plot to build his house, using profits from land sales and income from his wife’s mobile money business to fund construction.
Beyond land sales, Okyere invested in a cocoa farm in Sehwei, which generates yearly income. Now in his 20s, he has built a five-bedroom house with toilets, baths, POP ceiling, and full plastering, with one completed room. As his business grows, he plans to finish the rest of the house.
Looking ahead, he intends to build a hotel within five years as a major investment. He also plans to venture into large-scale maize farming with a friend. By 30, he hopes to be a major entrepreneur.
Reflecting on his experience, Okyere emphasized that struggling to travel abroad is not always the best option.
Many Ghanaians risk everything to go abroad, only to struggle for survival. Instead, he advises young people to use their money wisely in Ghana, investing in business and property rather than seeking jobs in Europe without proper planning.
He believes that with GHC 500,000, one can become a millionaire in Berekum through land sales.
Even the artisans working on his house assumed it belonged to a wealthy “Borga” (returnee), as many Ghanaian homes in his area are larger than those built by returnees from abroad.
Okyere shared that a friend who planned to amend his passport to travel to Spain has not achieved as much as he has in Ghana.
While his friend brings cars home when he visits, Okyere already owns two Pragya tricycles and a motorbike, proving that success is possible locally.
For those considering travel, he advises first securing a car, house, business, and bank statement, as this increases the chances of getting a visitor visa to any country.
Aside from business, Okyere is also a musician. Though he hasn’t pursued music seriously, he remains content with his growing business and financial stability.
His story serves as inspiration for young Ghanaians, proving that financial success and stability are achievable without traveling abroad.
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