It’s quite interesting that two of Ghana’s most prominent billionaires are reluctant to be labeled as such.
Mr. Daniel McKorley, founder of the McDan Group, and Dr. Kwabena Adjei, founder of Kasapreko Company Limited, have both expressed skepticism about the billionaire tag often attributed to them.
They feel they have not yet fully realised their potential, leaving them uncertain about the billionaire tag.
In separate interviews with vlogger Wode Maya, both McDan and Dr. Kwabena Adjei struggled with the question, “Are you a billionaire?”
Dr. Adjei, a well-known billionaire with substantial investments in Ghana and across Africa, directly stated that he does not consider himself a billionaire.
To him, aside from prominent figures like Aliko Dangote, no one in Ghana meets the billionaire standard, including himself.
“I am not a billionaire. As for wealth, I can’t say I am a rich man. I am an average man, an average person. Recently I was in America, they are the rich ones with dollars.
“So, if I have some cedis, I can’t say I am a billionaire. In Africa, aside from Dangote, who else is rich? Nobody. Who is rich in Ghana? Nobody.”
Similarly, McDan, a leading entrepreneur with significant investments, including Africa’s largest salt mine, was asked if he considered himself a billionaire.
He also responded with uncertainty, “I think so.”
McDan continued, “Everyone expects me to be happy when I walk into my businesses, but I see challenges. This is the beginning, I haven’t even reached fifty percent of my potential yet so why should I be happy?”
When asked if at least money makes him happy, he said, “It depends on how you see it. Money makes me happy because I do what I wouldn’t be able to do, I help people around me. When you have money, immediately you see smiles on people’s faces then you’re happy. If you don’t have money, to put smiles on people’s faces, how can you be happy?”
He emphasised that to thrive in Africa, one must rise above the status quo.
“In Africa, you need to think like a gorilla. If you think like a dwarf, you become one. I came from the streets; I don’t know how many young people could survive what I’ve survived,” he concluded.
EB/OBG