By Samuel Lartey(Prof)
In Ghana, as in many societies, jealousy doesn’t always roar, it whispers. It often wears a smile, shakes your hand, applauds your progress, and yet quietly plots your fall.
These “jealous people with friendly faces” have become the invisible saboteurs in our government institutions, political opponents, corporate spaces, social systems, and even within our households.
Their influence, subtle yet corrosive erodes productivity, stalls progress, undermines collaboration, and weakens the very foundation of national development.
In a nation striving to reset its economy, rebuild public trust, and inspire a new era of civic and corporate responsibility, this cultural and psychological phenomenon demands more than passive acknowledgment. It requires interrogation, confrontation, and transformation.
In Government: Sabotage in Suits
Ghana’s public sector has long grappled with institutional inefficiencies, but what is often overlooked is how envy among colleagues breeds active obstructionism. Promotions delayed, proposals buried, and whistleblowers vilified not because of merit but due to resentment masked as professional courtesy.
A 2022 report by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) revealed that 42% of public servants believe internal office politics including jealousy significantly undermines performance.
Talented civil servants are often sidelined by envious supervisors or colleagues who fear being outshined. The consequences are measurable: Ghana loses an estimated GH₵10 billion annually to inefficiencies in the public sector (IMANI Ghana, 2023).
Case in point: In 2021, the Ministry of Local Government delayed the rollout of a digitised decentralisation platform aimed at improving local governance. Insiders later revealed that the delay stemmed from internal sabotage by senior staff who felt threatened by the younger, tech-savvy team behind the project.
In the Corporate Sector: Boardroom Betrayals
In Ghana’s competitive corporate environment, the “friendly-faced saboteur” has become a strategic operator. These individuals often praise innovation in meetings but privately campaign against its implementation. The result is a toxic corporate culture that discourages initiative and rewards conformity.
According to a PwC Ghana 2024 Workforce Culture Survey, 68% of employees across financial and telecom sectors say they hesitate to propose new ideas out of fear that colleagues will either steal credit or secretly sabotage the execution. This has a chilling effect on innovation, a key driver of Ghana’s competitiveness in the global market.
Example: A promising fintech startup in Accra lost a major partnership in 2023 after internal leaks suspected to be from a disgruntled former team member, led to data breaches. The firm lost an estimated $1.2 million in projected revenue and had to lay off 15% of staff.
In Society: Friendly Fire from Family and Friends
Social jealousy is no less damaging. In Ghanaian communities, jealousy often operates through gossip, spiritual manipulation, and deliberate isolation. Talented youth are discouraged from pursuing excellence for fear of being “too known” or attracting “evil eyes.” The fear is not imaginary. The 2022 Afrobarometer survey found that 54% of Ghanaians believe witchcraft and spiritual jealousy have real effects on people’s fortunes and relationships.
Many young entrepreneurs in rural areas, for instance, speak of “crab culture” the tendency for community members to pull each other down rather than uplift. This undermines grassroots enterprise and perpetuates cycles of poverty. In the urban social scene, success is often met with passive-aggressive criticism masked as concern: “Are you sure you can handle that kind of money?” “You’re flying too high these days.”
In Households: The Domestic Frontline of Envy
Jealousy doesn’t stop at the office door. It enters homes and marriages too. Spousal jealousy, sibling rivalry, and in-law sabotage are frequently cited in domestic conflicts that end in financial ruin or divorce. The Ghana Statistical Service reported in 2023 that marital breakdowns had increased by 11% over five years, with many citing “incompatible values,” “trust issues,” and “family interference” as root causes all often laced with envy.
Household jealousy leads to the misallocation of resources, undermines trust in financial decisions, and discourages long-term planning. Families become battlegrounds of resentment rather than units of resilience.
National Development Consequences: A Jealous Nation is a Fragile Nation
When jealousy festers in every layer of society, national development becomes disjointed. Talented leaders are forced into silence or exile. Innovation stalls. Resources are wasted on duplicative programs fueled by competition rather than collaboration. The loss is not only emotional, it’s financial.
In 2024, the World Bank estimated that Ghana’s productivity growth slowed to 1.6%, citing poor institutional cohesion and low trust among workers as contributing factors. Meanwhile, Ghana’s ranking on the Global Innovation Index slipped from 106 in 2021 to 109 in 2023, a reflection not just of policy stagnation but of cultural bottlenecks like jealousy.
Breaking the Cycle: A Call to Conscious Culture
To neutralize the threat of “jealous people with friendly faces,” Ghana must address the issue at multiple levels:
- Government and HR reforms must promote meritocracy and protect whistleblowers.
- Corporate training must include emotional intelligence and collaborative leadership.
- Civic education should promote ubuntu values of mutual upliftment and national pride.
- Faith-based and traditional institutions must challenge destructive cultural beliefs that romanticize envy or spiritual sabotage.
- Families must teach children empathy, humility, and healthy ambition.
Conclusion: From Jealousy to Generational Growth
Ghana’s path to economic prosperity and institutional sustainability is not blocked only by bad policies or inadequate financing, it is choked by a cultural condition that rewards pretense and punishes excellence. Jealousy, especially when hidden behind friendly faces, is a quiet killer of dreams, trust, and national cohesion.
As Ghana enters a decisive decade where data, digitalisation, and discipline are expected to drive development, it is imperative that we also embark on a moral and cultural transformation. Let us move from a nation where success triggers suspicion to one where success inspires solidarity.
Only then can Ghana truly rise, not just in GDP, but in character, collaboration, and collective achievement.
