Anytime I see or hear an advert for a conference/seminar such as the Springboard show or some other motivational speech frenzy sort of show, I get very irritated.
This morning, Albert Ocran and Prince Kofi Amoabeng will be on the Super Morning Show (Joy fm) to “look at what it takes to create the next generation of dollar millionaires in the midst of everything that’s happening in Ghana” Something about “WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A MILLIONAIRE”
I don’t really have anything against people desiring to be rich, but statements and themes like this leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. I don’t think I support Communist principles, because I don’t know all of them, but I have a problem with this desire to be super rich in the midst of poverty.
I really wish the Springboard roadshow would be a motivational conference that would motivate young Ghanaians to work to solve Ghana’s problems without necessarily thinking of how the solutions would enrich them.
This morning, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is asking us to put all our complaints about the problems in Ghana aside, and tell him how we plan to make 5 million dollars in the next five years.
Someone wrote that Volunteerism is dead in Ghana, I disagree, but I think Volunteerism is very ill. We have too many people asking “what’s in it for me? How do I make a million dollars from this?”.
What happened to simply wanting to help?
Again, I understand the need to make enough money to look after oneself and one’s loved ones. What I don’t understand is the desire to be absolutely completely rich. Perhaps I’m just crazy, or perhaps I’m not there yet…
Ghana really needs people who are not thinking in this get-rich-quick way, and people like Albert Ocran, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Kofi Amoabeng etc are not helping.
They are people that a lot of our youth look up to, and it’s really sad that this is how they are thinking.
kuukuwa 
“We have too many people asking “what’s in it for me?”
This example may be a tad off the subject matter, but I do agree with you.
A friend of mine once lost his school ID card and it was picked up by a campus security person. I’m not entirely sure how the security guy got in contact with my friend, but the bottom line was he expected to be paid for finding his card because “if not for me(security guy) you would have to pay X cedis”.
So yeah, the good deed, volunteering spirit is virulently sick.
Liked, retweeted and favorited. I share these exact thoughts, sentiments and beliefs.
Spot on. Besides, so long as one is comfortable, hard work is it’s own reward.
“Dollar millionaires”? What is wrong with even cedi millionaires? Anyone who works hard, smart, and honest enough to earn a million cedis off a business is very deserving of he same plaudits that go to “dollar millionaires”. Mtchew.
The key word for me in your comment is the word ‘honest.’
KUUKUWA
Useful comments. I dunno ’bout u, but I find Joy quite boring and ‘too-known’ for my liking. The fact that they always deny my comments from appearing on their website isnt the reason why.
There’s an ideas-gap and this is the evidence
@papabedo
Unfortunately for me, it’s the most accessible + cheapest radio station (sorry for being a snob) of a certain quality available to me.
Its about time….and the time is now. With people thinking like this and inspiring others to change how they think, the future looks really cool
sad, the future looks really sad because these get rich quick seminar attending idiots have few or no talents or skills and thus fail and because they truly are made to believe that they will succeed, they become frustrated and take out their frustrations on the rest of us.
The only people who are getting rich are Ocran et al and Joy FM
Very true, Chris,with few or no talent or skills and so fail.The effect: frustration.Exactly.
The thinking,Terry,the thinking.
I really like your comment.
Interesting read.Glad you’ve made your voice heard on such an issue.I haven’t even thought of it this way–the negative effect or the bad side of motivational speakers as regards to focusing too much getting the money speeches.
I agree with the fact that striking out how to solve problems and rather focusing on just how to get rich is bad.It sends out a subliminal message,in the faintest signal,that once you can make say 5 million dollars in one week then it doesn’t matter how you did it.You are crowned millionaire.
However,I don’t think motivational speakers tell people to use dubious means to get rich (Yes,logically they won’t say that).
But emotionally they,without having noticed,probably,are urging people’s thoughts to just focus on money-making.
Somehow I also blame the people who attend such seminars/conferences just so they can acquire some ‘secret’ knowledge of how to get rich quick.It is because there are such people that we probably have some motivational speakers–I don’t know about the rest–focusing on just how to make money speeches whiles making money off those who attend the seminars.
I wanted to say something about volunteerism but errrm,maybe,just maybe,I’ll have to back later.
And I like this post.
Even though the ever ‘what’s in it for me’ chorus is bad I think it is now like this because the value of appreciation is lost,but not entirely.I’m talking about non-monetary means like thank you–though a thank you may not suffice.Yes,one’s motive may be just to volunteer but I think organizers can do a better job,depending on the situation.
Yes,if you volunteer for a cause and at the end of the day no kind of appreciation is shown you are likely to feel bad.
I’m saying this because I believe some organizers of a certain cause one may have volunteered for did not show appreciation to the volunteers–it’s possible.
So if organisers of a cause can be ‘generous’ enough,and the value of other forms of appreciation are uplifted we’ll have less ‘what’s in it for me’ volunteers.Less because humans can be greedy sometimes.
Haha,Ben 🙂 Can you please share with me (or us) some of the ‘too known-ess’ of Joy?
I know…I’ve commented so much on this post :).
A thought just occured to me…What about motivational seminars/conferences for problem-solvers? -___-
Hahahaha, no, you haven’t commented too much & I love it. Keep ’em coming!
My interest in Joy fm waned when Komla Dumor left.
What a useful and cogent concerns shared, its so unfortunate. For the past 4months i’ve been making lot of research on Ghana’s basic problem and the ones i’m capable of solving there though i dont reside in Ghana.
The fact remains that Problems left unattended to will become a multiple complex problem.
Let us strategize, draw plans, take risks, collective effort can rescue the situation.
Whoever can help my research and networking can connect with me via http://www.facebook.com/ademolatdm or adeaoc@gmail.com.
Nice piece Author.
The bottom line of been successful is impacting life’s,and the main tool in impacting life’s is through gaining a reputation for your self