If You Can't Make it Here, You Can't Make it Abroad

Stop blaming the system and look in the mirror.

How many times have you sat with your boys at a spot in East Legon or Osu, complaining about how Ghana is 'hard' and how the only way out is to catch the next flight to Heathrow or JFK?

We’ve all been there. But in this episode of Konnected Minds, Derrick Abaitey drops a truth bomb that might actually hurt your feelings: If you can’t make it here, you probably won't make it abroad either.

It’s a bold take, right? Especially with the way the cedi is behaving. But listen closely to what he’s saying. Success isn't about the soil you're standing on; it’s about the habits you’ve built. If you are lazy in Accra, you will be lazy in London. If you lack discipline in Kumasi, you will be overwhelmed in New York.

The Myth of the 'Magic' Visa

We often treat a visa like a magic wand that suddenly grants us a work ethic. We think the moment we land in a developed country, we’ll magically start working 16-hour days and saving every penny. But why wait?

Derrick points out that the same grit required to survive the hustle abroad is exactly what you need to thrive right here. If you can master the art of solving problems in a chaotic environment like Ghana, you become dangerous—in a good way—anywhere else in the world.

What’s your internal GPS saying?

The core message here is self-mastery. Are you looking for an escape, or are you looking for an opportunity? Most people running away from Ghana are actually running away from themselves. They think a change in scenery will fix a broken mindset.

Spoiler alert: It won't.

The guys who actually make it abroad are usually the ones who were already pushing, already learning, and already disciplined before they even checked in at Kotoka. They don't go there to 'find' success; they go there to scale the success they’ve already started building within themselves.

Ask yourself the hard questions.

What are you doing today with the little you have? Are you building a skill that people are willing to pay for? Or are you just waiting for a miracle at the embassy?

This episode really made me rethink my own excuses. Ghana has its challenges—no one is denying that. But if you can’t figure out how to provide value in a market you actually understand, what makes you think you'll win in a foreign land where you're starting from zero?

Check out the full video above. Trust me, it’s the reality check we all need to hear before we start packing our bags.