Title: The Okada Dream: A Dangerous Detour for Ghana’s Future
By By E.A. Randolph-Koranteng (Rev)
Author of the Book “Tomorrow Happened Yesterday “ on Amazon.com
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Drive through any major city in Ghana today, and you will see them. Thousands of young men, perched on motorbikes, weaving through traffic, chasing the daily fare.
At first glance, it looks like entrepreneurship. It looks like survival. But beneath the surface, a quiet crisis is unfolding—one that will reshape Ghana’s future for the worse if we do not pay attention.
The hard truth is this: a generation of young Ghanaians is abandoning the very skills that build nations. In their place, we are breeding a culture of Okada riders and gamblers.
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The Trades We Are Losing
Walk through our communities and ask where the young apprentices have gone. Where are the young men learning to tile floors, wire buildings, fix plumbing, spray cars, or practice carpentry? Where are the youth interested in farming, masonry, or painting?
They are disappearing.
These trades are not “old school” or “irrelevant.” In every developed economy, they are respected, regulated, and well-compensated. Germany does not import plumbers; it trains them. Australia prioritizes skilled tradespeople for immigration because they are essential.
Ghana, however, is allowing these professions to die. And when they are gone, we will import foreigners to tile our homes and fix our pipes—at prices we cannot afford.
The Okada Trap
The appeal of Okada riding is obvious. The barrier to entry is low. The money is immediate. For a young person facing unemployment, it feels like a lifeline.
But let us be honest: it is a dead end, not a career.
Okada riding builds no transferable skills. There is no career progression, no pension, no security. A decade on the bike leaves you with nothing but road experience. And when the knees give out, or an accident happens, where does the 50-year-old former rider go?
While our youth chase daily fares, their counterparts in China, India, and South Korea are mastering technology, engineering, and innovation. They are building the solutions that will power the global market tomorrow. We are breeding riders.
Thanks for reading : May God grant us Wisdom to combine hindsight, insight and foresight.
Inspired by :
Proverbs 24:27 (NIV)
“Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.”
