My brother was very brilliant in school, but he always struggled when it came to final or external examinations. He never performed as well as expected. He didn’t do well in his common entrance exams. Because of that, he got his second-choice school. When he wrote his O-Level, he didn’t pass. He had to write remedials.

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Later, when it was time for sixth form, my mother, who was a teacher, spoke to one of her mates who was then a headmaster of a boys’ secondary school. She pleaded with him to take my brother, and after some back and forth, he agreed.

Back in those days, university education usually took three years, but my brother spent six years completing his degree. He was repeated twice, yet he still graduated with a third class.

After national service, my sister helped him get a one-year contract job. When the contract ended, it wasn’t renewed, so he stayed home again. He started talking about travelling abroad.

Lord knows the number of connection men who spent my father’s money because of this abroad thing. They all didn’t work out. So, he decided to go to the UK to study ACCA. He didn’t have enough money, so my parents supported him from Ghana. They even sent money for his rent in the UK.

He began his studies little by little, and over time, most of his friends completed their master’s degrees and returned to Ghana. They inspire him to pursue his master’s too. One day, he returned from lectures to find his money and laptop stolen, even though his door wasn’t broken into. He was so heartbroken that he sat on the floor and cried while asking himself, “Kwesi, what did I come into this world to do?”

After his master’s, he had only three months left on his visa. He wanted to stay and work in the UK, but my mother advised him to return home. So, he came back to Ghana with nothing but his suitcase, his certificates, and faith.

He roamed everywhere looking for a job, but there were no vacancies. Later, my sister’s husband helped him get a job in the government sector. The pay wasn’t much, just around 300 cedis. At that time his mates were earning 1000 cedis. But he didn’t feel discouraged; he worked hard.

One day, he told my mother to pray for him because he was attending an interview in Accra. My mother, being a prayerful woman, prayed earnestly for him. After his first interview, he was called for a second one. At the final stage, they asked both candidates how much they were earning. The other person inflated his salary, but my brother told the truth—300 cedis.

The company asked for their payslips. In the end, the truth paid off. My brother got the job.

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It was an oil company. Within a twinkle of an eye, my brother’s life changed. He went from 300 cedis to 3,000 cedis. This was over twenty years ago so you can imagine what he is earning now. He’s now the breadwinner of the family.

When I was travelling to the USA, he gave me money and said, “Use this to cover the visa costs for one of your kids.” He travels abroad like it’s from Accra to Tema. I am talking about all expenses paid first first-class flights. He even told us one day, “Eii today, I was flying to the US, I sat in the same plane with President Akuffo Addo.”

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Even my own story is a testimony. I used to struggle. There were days I couldn’t afford what to eat. Today, my life is different. All because I didn’t give up. I have food in abundance. I can even afford to drive a 2025 car.

I just want to tell Kweku that this is what God can do. I understand that it’s hard but I want to encourage you not to give up. Hold on, good things are coming!

—Nina

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