If you believe the half-truth that “only connections can get you a job/opportunity in Ghana or anywhere else in Africa,” you’ve already disqualified yourself.
I’ll be the first to admit that connections help, they open doors faster. But they’re not the only path.
Every year, people land great jobs purely on the strength of their merit, preparation, and persistence. So why would you let this cynical narrative become a self-fulfilling prophecy in your case?
The real question is: Have you positioned yourself for opportunities that are based on merit? Do you have the skills, qualifications, and experience that make you an undeniable candidate based on your visibility, competence, and value? Have you branded yourself in a way that recruiters simply can’t ignore?
You can create your own connections with your conduct, attitude towards work, the way you carry yourself, and the decisions and choices you make daily. Most importantly, the way you treat people and the relationships you build.
It starts with your people, your immediate circle: schoolmates, family, etc. That record follows you. These relationships then elevate you to those outside your circle, where you need more currency to flourish. A friend’s uncle is putting in a word for you (for a job at a friend’s business/office) because your friend at school vouched for you. Then you do the same thing all over: build new relationships in your new environment with your conduct, attitude, energy, delivery of results, conviction, etc.
Then, someday, you are shocked when you end up in a room that you never expected to be invited to, in a conversation that you imagined was beyond you. Someday, you get invited to a workshop, a seminar, or a conference, and because you are prepared, you present the best version of yourself.
Someday, you engage in a conversation, a discussion, and someone in that audience, in that room, on that table, notices you. Then, they ask you about what you want to do, where you want to go, and what drives you. Then some other time, someone asks what they can do to help you achieve your ambitions.
In plain terms, your connection starts with you. Whatever your circumstances, it starts with you aiming to be a better version of what you are. Then people will come to you, and networks and connections will find you.
Yes, those who inherit connections might get a head start, but it’s also true that many don’t get far with them if they have not worked on themselves.
Look at the journey to build your own social capital: the pain, the bruises, the humiliation… look at them all as part of your journey. Learn to build the resilience that you need to get to where you want to be.
And whatever you do, do not let anybody make you think you will not get where you want to be. Because you will if you only embrace the journey and pay your dues.
