1. A friend came to stay the weekend with us at Doctors’ Quarters in UNIBEN in 1988. We didn't know he was allergic to eggs, and someone used the same oil that had been used to fry eggs to fry plantains. He ate the plantains and started immediately looking like the Michelin Man. Our landlord (a doctor) saved him with Hydrocortisone.
2. My youngest sister came to Accra for a visit and decided to do her hair. Some overzealous hairdresser decided she needed to dye her hair. The dye touched her scalp and she lost most of her hair while her head swelled double. She ended up in hospital for days.
3. I ate some fried meat balls in Togo in 2021 and went into shock. I recovered in hospital 8 hours later. Ended up in Accra and in hospital for a week. I don't eat processed meat till today.
4. Also me, earlier this year. I ate too much groundnuts and had a swollen neck. Ended up in hospital with complications including anaemia.
People die of allergies in Africa regularly and they call it “witchcraft.”
One life hack I recommend is this:
Have a financially literate friend in your life.
Someone who truly understands the professional and economic side of money.
Someone who can read and interpret financial documents.
Someone who understands investment strategies across financial instruments.
The people around you influence how you think about money, risk, debt, saving, and investing.
Good financial habits are often caught, not taught.