The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIMED Capital Limited, Abena Buachiwaa Brigidi has intimated that remuneration is not the demotivating factor in corporate institutions located in Ghana, especially for Ghanaians who have lived and worked abroad.
On her accord, the major frustration suffered by this group of people when they return to the country, is the frustrations they suffer at the workplace. “The frustration is when you have worked outside the country and the system seems to be working, but when you return to the country, it looks like any step you take, you run into a block.”
She disclosed that these blocks are usually humans and colleagues at the workplace. “They try to frustrate the entire process for you. You feel the people are trying to manipulate the system for their personal gain or just to frustrate you and that is the real challenge when you come back not the remuneration.”
Abena Buachiwaa noted that even in the most structured institutions in Ghana, change makers still suffer frustrations and resistance towards change and progression.
Sharing the story of a colleague she met when pursuing her MBA, Abena Buachiwaa said, “This guy in my MBA class was from Nigeria and was sponsored by the bank he worked with, First Bank. The bank brought him to the school as a change agent. They needed him to gain some exposure to come change up the practically slow processes in the bank.”
This banker finally figured out what was actually delaying transactions for days and decided to correct this. But after he eliminated repetitive processes to speed up transactions, one of his managers called him and advised him to let things be.
“One of his managers called him and asked him if he had seen an elephant before and he responded that he had only seen them in pictures. He was then told that an elephant only runs when there is a problem. So they just quenched that fire in him,” she indicated.
The investment banker believes if these frustrations are replaced with innovation, effective and efficient processes which are accepted by all in Ghana, it will be easier for trained Ghanaian experts working abroad to return and contribute to the country’s development.
