If there is a sport that unites and sparks much passion in our country it is football. None can rival this sport when it comes to how it captures the hearts of so many Ghanaians. When it comes to our national teams, we hate to lose – never mind which age classification.
Just a ‘few’ years ago, after putting up an impressive performance at the 1989 FIFA Under 16 tournament in Scotland, our gallant Black Starlets set our heart alight with an all-conquering feat in Italy two years later. That was the squad that brought youngsters like Mohammed Gargo, Opoku, Sebastian Barnes, Daniel Addo, the budding Emmanuel Duah, Samuel Osei-Kuffour and Isaac Asare among many others to the fore. The most acclaimed player then, Nii Odartey-Lamptey, already had celebrity status – and he didn’t disappoint in the competition.
The euphoria that we experienced was astounding. We had conquered the world: for the first time ever. Four years later, after losing to Nwako Kano’s Nigeria in 1993, we went on to defeat a well-oiled Brazilian team to lift the cup for the second time. Those were the days of Emmanuel Bentil, Stephen Appiah, Bashiru Gambo, Christian Gyan, Nana Kofi Attakora Amaniampong, Christian Saba and the unforgettable Awudu Issaka.
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The nation has not been that successful ‘up the ladder’ going up to the senior national team, the Black Stars. The Under-21 team, the Black Satellites, won the World Cup-2009 in Egypt, in glorious form; and the Olympic team won bronze at Barcelona in 1992. The Black Stars, four-time champions of Africa, are without doubt the team that lifts us up and lets us down. We qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 2006 – and the team did not disappoint, going on to qualify out of the group stage with the youngest team.
The highest point of the Black Stars’ story is almost making it to the World Cup semi-finals in South Africa, against ‘goalkeeper’ Luis Surez. The lowest points – ones we would prefer to forget quickly and never recollect – was firstly, the shame and ridicule of having to airlift millions of dollars of cash to players; with players spending the night counting money instead of focusing on their impending match against Portugal. Secondly, Comoros – a nation not known for its football prowess, even in Africa – ensured we did not go beyond the group stages by defeating the Black Stars in the just-ended CAF competition held in Cameroon.
It was as if the night we lost to Comoros a house of cards came tumbling down. If our finances came tumbling down in like manner, that would be disastrous. We spend years building wealth to ensure comfort in our retirement. Without care, we risk losing it all in a short time.
Wealth and Football: What’s Common?
No doubt, losing wealth can be much easier and done in a shorter time than building wealth. The latter requires purposefulness, diligence, sacrifice and focus, just like building a winning team like current (and first-time) African champions, Senegal. Wealth generation does not just come about. It happens when we purpose it and we apply ourselves diligently to do it. Those who have many assets (houses, factories, warehouses, commercial buildings, cars and land) today must have begun in a small way, built wealth gradually, made painful losses and yet continued with focused and determination. With time, they would begin to see the fruits of their determination.
Wealth creation requires a start
Too many times, we allow ourselves to believe we are not ready and put off starting. Certainly, we are all never ready. There are competing needs to engage our attention. There is never any ‘free money’ we can start with unless we intention it. Nevertheless, for the good wealth affords us, it is always worth starting somehow. A few cedis stashed away here, a few coins ‘thrown away’ into a jar there could constitute a start. The idea is to always ‘cast your bread upon the waters’. The ‘bread’ is cast away, so we don’t always go for a part of it. It is after many days that we find it.
Building wealth requires team effort
It is hard to go about it alone, and trying could even be counterproductive. Resources from a group of people, all things being equal, are usually more than resources from a single person. It is not just about capital or cash but also about what best use to put the resources to in order to generate the best commensurate returns. The wealth of ideas and commitment to make the generation of assets work adds to what money is garnered. A great example is a nest of ants. Together, with each ant playing its role, they have been known to achieve a tremendous amount of work and stashed up food or built colony-homes in a relatively short time. There is accord, there are roles and responsibilities. Driver ants, for instance, have been known to defy fire and fast-moving currents of water.
Wealth generation takes time
It is not a lottery that can be won within a week of staking. Patience, therefore, is required – as is football, or any other sport, victories are not won overnight. Senegal have been a dominant force and played in the quarter-finals of a World Cup Finals competition (the 2002 edition jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan). Yet it was not until three appearances at the AFCON final match in the space of twenty years (2002, 2019 and 2022) that they emerged victorious, finally lifting the elusive cup. It took hard work, determination and mental fortitude to beat an Egyptian side who, traditionally, hardly lose in penalty shoot-outs.
Creating wealth can be technical too
When it comes to investing in financial securities to accumulate generational wealth, the arena is highly regulated and it is good to seek advice from professionals. This reduces risk of loss, disappointment and waste of valuable time. Losing money and retrogressing in our efforts at building a legacy of generational wealth due to ill counsel is frustrating. Investing in financial instruments is definitely not the only way. However, seeking advice still holds true. We all need sound advice to help us navigate through minefields and pitfalls. We need to beware of where ‘get-rich-quickly’ plans lead. We need to embrace stepwise building, meticulous creation, planning with purpose and aim, and cautious optimism.
Lift Up the Cup
Wealth creation can target the acquisition of assets like homes, businesses and cars. These assets should enhance and not deplete our wealth. For instance, if we buy a nice car which ends up being a drain to maintain, the car really was a liability when acquired. A utility car which supports a business we operate in and helps generate more money than it costs to acquire and maintain is definitely an asset. In acquiring things, therefore, we should be circumspect of whether what we acquire will help us generate more wealth, reduce our expenses or both. No need embarking on fruitless ventures. Even Okomfo Anokye, who is said to have been able to fetch water with a sieve, would probably advise against that and be more prudent.
Invariably, wealth creation is not for showboating. Wealth creation is to make our dependents and us have financial security. We gain access to more opportunities and have many options at our disposal when we come into wealth. Wealth that is passed on should be accompanied with lessons and training on how to build and maintain it. Showboating often leads to unwise actions which cost money and deplete resources we may have accumulated.
Wealth which may have been acquired by dint of hard work and over many years can easily evaporate when passed on to untrained hands. It is important to consciously guide wards and dependents to ensure that what is passed on to them does not evaporate. Wealth is generational when those who inherit it also inherit training and wise counsel. They will then be judicious enough to maintain or even add to the wealth in order to, in turn, pass on to others.
The lessons of football – purpose, preparation, determination, diligence and focus – have helped many countries win laurels. We celebrate Senegal! At least they are experiencing how good we have, on four occasions, felt before. We also need to pick ourselves up, dust off the regrets and failures of Cameroon 2021 and set ourselves on a path to many victories. Without doubt, we may have lost or put off the chance to start on a mindful path of creating wealth. Time to start, time to set goals and time to determine we shall lift up the cup. The cup of…wealth creation and financial independence. The essence of OctaneDC!
About the Writer
He does not describe himself as a football pundit, but his love for the game remains undiluted. Earlier this year (2022) Kwadwo was a resource person for Metro TV’s business show Bottom Line, where he shared thoughts on Goal Setting from the perspective of financial planning. Through his writings, Kwadwo has discovered a knack to simplify complex theories by spicing them with everyday life experiences for the benefit of all who read. Kwadwo Acheampong is the Head of OctaneDC Research. I would be grateful to have your feedback on this article: [email protected] or +233 244 563 530
