A member of the NPP Vetting Committee and former diplomat, Professor Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, has advised Ghanaian youths against assuming that life abroad certainly offers better opportunities.
According to the Professor, while some Ghanaians succeed after migrating, many others struggle with challenges that are rarely visible in the images of prosperity they share with those back home.
He highlighted that young people often see the apparent success of migrants without knowing the difficulties and sacrifices behind them.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, September 8, Professor Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah stated, “The so-called ‘grass is greener somewhere. It’s an illusion”.
“You hear about them; they are showing prosperity and whatnot. The basis of the prosperity, they don’t tell you,” he said.
He further noted that some migrants also struggle to find jobs in their areas of expertise and are forced to take up work unrelated to their qualifications.
“And then also, a lot of them actually never make it,” he said.
According to the professor, his experience abroad strengthened his conviction that migration should not automatically be viewed as the surest path to a better future.
He further revealed that after completing his studies in the United States, he rejected several job offers because he had already decided to return to Ghana.
“When I was leaving home, I knew that the Ghana I was leaving was going to be better than the States. And therefore, I want to be there when that happens,” he said.
Kwame Pianim, a Renowned economist, has urged young Ghanaian women and men to remain in the country and contribute to its economic development.
According to Kwame Pianim, Ghana should create jobs and invest in productive sectors to prevent the growing youth population from becoming a burden on the economy.
The Renowned economist urged Ghanaian youths to stay and build Ghana instead of running to other countries.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Fidelity Bank Debt Capital Markets Conference 2026, Kwame Pianim stated, “Now that the weather is changing in Europe, they will give us free visas to go there while they come and stay here. So you and I, let’s do the right thing and be strong, and I think we will maintain this macroeconomic stability and move it forward. Otherwise, in 10 years’ time, I am gone. You and your children are here.
Make sure that this place we have called Ghana is made safe and productive for us. Our young women and men, stay here to work instead of running away, walking to other countries to add value to our raw materials in countries where nobody wants them,” he said.
Kwame Pianim also stressed the need to create jobs for the young people entering the labour market.
“You either create jobs for them so they become forces for development, or you leave them and they become destroyers,” Kwame Pianim said.
“They will be bandits, they will be armed robbers. They will not be contributing to growth,” he added.
He further issued a warning about illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, saying, “If the galamsey continues, there is nothing you do, you won’t have water. You are not rich enough to import avian water to drink, and the genetic make-up of our women is being destroyed. So let’s focus on that. Clean it up. The next war will be fought over water, where the water is and when the West moves in, they will push us to the arid areas,” he emphasised.
However, Ghanaian media personality Nana Aba Anamoah has sparked a debate on social media, calling on her followers, countrymen and women to seize any opportunity to relocate abroad legally for work.
According to Nana Aba Anamoah, should a Ghanaian get the opportunity to leave this country legally and work legally, they should take it without looking back.
In a post on X, Nana Aba Anamoah on July 30, 3036 wrote, “If you get the chance to leave this country legally and work legally, take it. Don’t look back”.
@ghnow_ Hon. Sam George takes a moment to teach pupils at the Prampram Cluster of Schools how to safely ride and enjoy the newly commissioned seesaw. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Hon. Sam George has commissioned a newly constructed 3-unit classroom block at Afienya, providing improved learning facilities for pupils and supporting a better educational environment in the community. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – zakboy NDC
