Abeiku Santana: “I’ll Choose Ghana Over a $100,000 Salary in the US”

• Ghana Tourism Authority's Deputy CEO Abeiku Santana made a bold declaration about living in Ghana over the US or UK
• Santana argued that Ghana holds more opportunities than America, but Ghanaians consistently fail to act on them
• The media personality pointed to how foreigners and expatriates capitalise on the very problems Ghanaians complain about

Ghana Tourism Authority Deputy Chief Executive Officer Abeiku Santana has made a striking declaration, saying no amount of money could tempt him to swap Ghana for life in the United States or the United Kingdom.

Why Santana Believes Ghana beats America

Speaking in a video that circulated on X on September 6, 2026, the veteran broadcaster and tourism official threw out a specific figure to make his point: "$100,000 a month still would not be enough to pull him away."

"If you gave me a $100,000 monthly salary to live in America or to live in the UK, I'll choose Ghana. Ask me why," he said.

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His reasoning was not rooted in sentiment alone. Santana argued that Ghana is teeming with untapped potential that its own citizens consistently overlook, while outsiders swoop in and profit from the same landscape.

"There are more opportunities in Ghana than in America. We see the opportunity, but we are not able to seize the opportunity," he explained.

He went further, drawing a sharp contrast between the mindset of Ghanaians and that of foreign nationals who relocate to the country. In his view, expatriates and foreigners arriving in Ghana are not burdened by the same reluctance that holds locals back. Where Ghanaians grumble, they act.

"Then foreigners or expatriates come; they see it, and they seize it. We see the opportunity, but we lament. We always complain," he said.

The X video is below:

Abeiku Santana on Ghana's untapped potential

Santana also offered a reframe on what opportunity actually looks like, suggesting that Ghanaians misread the country's challenges as dead ends rather than openings.

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"Anything that people are complaining about is an opportunity. Opportunity is work. Opportunity is problems. But we don't like problems," he added.

The remarks are likely to spark debate, given the ongoing conversation in Ghana around the "Japa" phenomenon, a term used across West Africa to describe the wave of young professionals emigrating to Western countries in search of better pay and living conditions. Santana's comments push back against that tide, making the case that staying home and problem-solving is a more rewarding path than chasing a salary abroad.

Source: YEN.com.gh