Financial Strain: Life Coach Decries Excessive Dowry Demands in Ghanaian Marriages

• Ghanaian life coach Douglas Owusu Boateng criticised the expensive dowry lists that have become a financial burden
• Boateng questioned the rationale behind excessive dowry demands, including unnecessary items
• His comments sparked an online debate about reforming Ghanaian marriage traditions, with many in agreement

Well-known Ghanaian life coach Douglas Owusu Boateng has sparked reactions online over his comment towards the expenses and financial strain that come with modern Ghanaian marriages.

In a video from a public speaking engagement, Boateng criticised the increasingly bizarre and expensive dowry lists that Ghanaian men had to face when it came to settling down in marriage.

According to him, the dowry payment practice has become a major deterrent for young couples, especially the men.

Ghanaian life coach Boateng criticises dowry culture

The life coach called out the tradition of families (from the lady's side) presenting a long list of items, including personalised items, to a prospective groom as part of the marriage rites.

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He argued that many of these lists have become bloated with unnecessary demands that make marriage financially prohibitive.

He explained that some of these requirements often go beyond cultural significance and serve more as a financial test for the suitor.

In his words:

"So they have made it too expensive. You have to buy this, you have to buy that."

He also spoke about how the bride-to-be's family demands large quantities of clothing and underwear, questioning the rationale behind such requests.

"A woman getting married doesn't even own a single pair of underwear, but you are asking him to buy ten dozen pieces of underwear. Is she going to participate in 'Miss Ghana'?" he asked rhetorically.

The life coach called on families, particularly within the Christian community, to reconsider these customs and 'take their minds off' such demands. He warned that the high cost associated with marriage ceremonies is a key reason why many young people are delaying or forgoing marriage altogether.

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The X post is below:

Reactions to Ghanaian dowry culture criticism

Douglas Owusu Boateng's comments sparked a wider online conversation about the need to reform marriage traditions. Some of the comments are below:

@industrinsiders stated:

"Facts chale."

@Queku_P said:

"If e reach en pikin en turn, make he take GH₵100."

@ywglobal commented:

"In the UK in 2019, I asked my fiancé how tall is your engagement list and that’s how I realised the marital system back home in Ghana is designed to keep the young ones poor and poorer. Kokooko, traditional marriage list, white wedding, and refreshments. Business capital atrophied. 😩"

@changemanseven wrote:

"In other developed countries, there’s nothing like dowry sef, here in the States no one asks for anything when you’re marrying their daughter, lol."

Obroni surprised by bride price in Ghana

YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that a German man recounted surprise after being asked to pay a bride price while preparing to marry a Ghanaian woman.

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He said he was told the payment was to compensate the bride’s father for her education, which sparked debate online.

Ghanaians defended the tradition and clarified that bride price is a cultural requirement and not linked to education.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh