Akoa Kwaku Appiah: Success Is Not About Cars or Travel, But Building a Legacy
Akoa Kwaku Appiah, a Ghanaian living in the United Kingdom, shared his experiences on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide with DJ Nyaami. He is a regular guest on the show and often speaks about life abroad, success, and lessons Ghanaians can learn both at home and in the diaspora.
According to him, many people wrongly equate success with traveling abroad, owning flashy cars, or acquiring material things. For him, success is measured by wisdom, stability, and the legacy one leaves behind. “Sometimes, I close my doors in the UK and return to Ghana to live for two years. I own plots of land and properties here. We must learn from the mistakes and achievements of others,” he said.
Akoa emphasized that no matter how long one lives abroad, true identity cannot be changed. “Some Ghanaians insult the country and turn their backs on it, but later they return to buy land and build. At the end of the day, Ghana remains our home. A passport cannot change your identity—one day your own body will remind you where you belong.”
He also compared cultural differences, pointing out how in Western countries, elderly people often end up in nursing homes, abandoned by their children. In his view, material wealth and foreign systems do not guarantee happiness or fulfillment.
On migration, Akoa cautioned against blaming Ghana for every difficulty. He noted that even in developed countries, citizens face challenges. For example, someone earning £2,000 in the UK often spends most of it on high rent and bills. “Every country has its problems. Instead of running away, we must do our part to help make Ghana better,” he added.
Reflecting on consumer culture, he criticized how global systems enslave people through brands and artificial lifestyles. “Gucci is just someone’s name, but people pay £1,000 to wear it. Three hundred years ago, Africans lived more freely and with dignity. Today, we’ve been programmed to think we are poor, yet we spend our hard-earned money feeding systems that don’t benefit us.”
For Akoa, real success is not measured by where you live or what you drive, but by the legacy you build and the contribution you make to your homeland.
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