The important thing to note here is that it is more about friction and function than expenditure. There is a level of comfort you need to be much more functional, and sometimes (not always) that comfort usually requires spending more or moving to a more expensive place that removes friction.
Yesterday, as I was driving between Ghana and Togo, I realized how important NOT being afraid of the police or criminals appearing suddenly was to my ability to think and be functional. I could also plan my time better with stable infrastructure.
Sometimes you don't need to spend more; you simply have to remove yourself from the source of friction that's preventing the function. That move could even be lateral.
I have told many friends to move away from London to other parts of England after seeing them struggle and achieve limited results. When they did, not only did they save money, but their productivity quadrupled.
In Accra, I moved around a bit. From East Legon, to Ridge, now in the mountains where I found peace and quiet. This place is cheaper than the other places I had lived, but makes me more functional.
I figured the UK and most countries out early enough. When I was in Lagos, I was away from Lagos most weekends and it kept me sane out of the rat race. I saw Late Otunba Balogun doing it every weekend and finally understood why he did and why he lived the way he did for people famously known to be frugal. He was a very functional person.
Many people think hustling and living under hard conditions are virtues in themselves, but they are not. Effort without exponential reward is stupidity. If you pay more and can get more, it is a better way to be on the path to getting even more.
The African continent doesn’t need more entrepreneurs. It’s full of them.
What it needs is a specific class of entrepreneurs called industrialists: business people who build value-adding firms in export-oriented job creating sectors, not rent capture.
For over 10 years, he struggled to make money. Through it all, his mother stayed by his side.
Now you met him 2 weeks ago and you think he should choose you financially over her?
My sister, go and hustle.
Major cheat code in life: Master the graceful exit. From conversations. From parties. From opportunities. "This has been wonderful, but I need to go." No elaborate excuses. No fake emergencies. Just clear, kind departure. Most people don't know how to leave. They stay too long or leave badly. Master the exit.
One thing I love about older friends is they don't obsess over your goals. They ask if you're taking care of yourself, if you're happy, and if you're making time for the things that bring you joy.
The directors of Union Bank allegedly buried over N250b in losses and piled a $300m foreign loan onto the bank without protection.
By 2025, the actions led to nearly N400b in losses and N147b in unpaid charges until CBN stepped in and prevented the bank from collapse.
My uncle lived in China for 7 years and came back speaking fluent Mandarin and zero generosity.
Ask him for ₦5k, he'll quote Confucius and hand you a mop.
One day I needed money for transport. He looked at me, then looked at his car, then said in perfect Mandarin "Nǐ xiǎng yào qián?" "You want money?"
I said yes.