 I have been reading comments and some of you are telling me that why you keep on bragging about what Africans are doing. I'm not just bragging but I'm appreciating brothers who thinks that Africa is home and it's time for us to come together both Africans on the continent and Africans in the diaspora to join hands together to build our beloved Madala. I feel so proud about them. That's why I decided to share episodes on why I left America, UK, Australia, Netherlands. I mean, I left the entire diaspora to come build something to change things in the Netherlands. Just look how beautiful this place is. And what fascinates me and what makes me feel so proud is that they are Africans. And you know what? I don't want to talk too much today. If today is your first time seeing this face on your screen, my name is Mr. Ghana Baby, the village boy who is on a journey to change the narratives of Maman Africa. So if you are new to the channel, do me a favor, subscribe and be part of this awesome family. Let's hit 500,000 subscribers by the end of this month. Stay tuned. Let me talk to the owner of this building and stay cool and enjoy this amazing episode from your boy Mr. Maya. You know what? I can't believe I'm sitting down with Ghana's top 5 real estate developers. The guys are enjoying the money in the country. We're trying to. Good to see you. Thank you. A lot of people don't know you, so you just have to tell us who you are. Okay. And where are you from? Oh, I'm from here. Where? Ignore the accent, but I'm here. So, you know, I was born in Accra and I grew up in Latvia-Koshi and Assalam-Dam. And then my mother had the opportunity to send me to school when I was 9 years old. We, the family business was a Revlon. We had a Revlon contract in the late 80s. And my mom and father were able to save and send me to the UK. So at the time they were unhappy with the schooling system. I was actually based in Cape Coast at the time. Oh, okay. So, Ankaful. So, yeah, I ended up straight from Ankaful to the UK. How old were you anyway? I was 9. 9? Yeah, and to make things more interesting they sent me to boarding school. So it was a bit of a culture shock from, you know, straight Ankaful to Bristol, which is not even London, it's outside London. So, yeah, I've had mixed experiences and, you know... And how long did you live in the UK? I did 19 years there, so almost 20. So I came back when I was 28 years old. You came back to Ghana? I came back to Ghana when I was 28 years old, yeah. So I went to the schooling there, I did university there. I did my first few jobs there. So the UK is second home. I mean, I'm both British and Ghanaian. So you're using British passport or Ghanaian passport? No, when you're done your time, you have to try and get the passport. So that's what I did. Yeah, but you left the UK. I left the UK. Why? So for different reasons. So Ghana to me was a place where I thought I would come back to retire when I was 60. I know, it's very crazy. But what happened was, 2008 was, we had the financial crisis. One of the banks I worked for, I was an investment banker before, Lehman Brothers. So in 2008 Lehman Brothers went down. I'm very fortunate for me. I mean, as the ship was sinking, one of my clients picked me up and said, we have an opportunity in Africa and it'll be based out of Ghana. It was an opportunity that I couldn't say no to. And so it was my landing pad to Accra. So I came, I was working. I got to know the landscape a little bit better. And while I was doing that, I was sort of moonlighting, looking for business opportunities. So that's what, that's my journey. You came all the way from UK to Ghana to work in Ghana. I came from the UK to work in Ghana. You didn't see the pounds and decided to take cities? You could pay me in cities, if you wish. No, but what happened was, I mean, very fortunate for me, that I was structured that I was, you know, they found me in the UK. So they employed me there. And it was a great opportunity. I really enjoyed working with the people I worked with. So I set up Biasat One, which was one of the channels in 2008. That was a really great, like a great experience for me. It was a good way to learn about Ghana and to meet people. Ultimately, that's what you need. Now you are interrealistic. If I should tell people more about you, I'll say that you're one of the top five in Ghana. I like to think so, but I mean, it's very competitive. There's some good people out there, but yes, I would like to think. But why are you interrealistic? Chance. So in 2008, actually, I used to do a lot of presentations to help companies raise money. And I thought to myself, why don't I try and do a small presentation to my group of investment banking friends to see if they're willing to invest in a small project I'm doing in Ghana. So we had some family land in Shiashe, which is East Lagoon. And I wanted to try my luck out like doing a sort of student hostel type project. So I did a presentation. I mean, some of the numbers I made up, but I was doing it from there. But they gave me 20,000 each. I managed to raise $100,000, which I ended up starting the project. So I was actually going to start student housing. But somehow, I don't know what it is, by chance, something made me change and I decided to go into residential houses. And the reason primarily was because I was earning pounds in London, but I still couldn't really get a place in East Lagoon. So a lot of the houses in East Lagoon was like $400,000. So I thought there's definitely a market for $150,000 to $200,000 apartments or houses for young professionals or not necessarily like working professionals who earn a decent amount of money. There's definitely a mismatch between demand and supply in Ghana. So we were able to hit a price point. I did eight townhouses. We sold each for $150,000. And that's history. You mentioned $150,000. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money. But I guess like any business is where you try to find a segment. So if house prices are $400,000 average in East Lagoon at the time and you come up with a product that's $150,000, you automatically create a bit of demand. I'm not saying we're targeting everybody, but it's just... What I'm trying to say is that... It's still a lot of money. How can Africans afford to buy a house of $150,000? Because I know there are so many people out there. I'm not saying Africans. There are Ghanians out there who have CD savings and the way historically the CD is always depreciated. So a good way to convert your money is to buy real estate or land because land preserves inflation. It's a good hedge against inflation and currency depreciation. So people buy houses and they buy land to store the value of their CD. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's expensive. I get it. But it's a savings option for a lot of people. It's not expensive. It is expensive. $150,000. It's not expensive. I'm just trying to say something. How do Ghanians... Yeah, I have so many people who are out there watching us who have never been to Africa who were thinking that even coming to Africa, I mean $150,000 houses don't exist. People in Africa can't afford to... No, that's the perception outsiders. Because you go to the CIA website it'll tell you average income in Ghana is $2,000 a year. So most people are like, how's that possible? Whereas in the US it's $30,000, $40,000 a year. So obviously, and I think it's just down to the fact that it's... There's a small segment at the top, you know, and the population is large. So obviously the figure is spread across a bigger segment of the population. But there's a segment of the urban population who have decent wealth and decent cash flow. It's both from proper businesses and they want to invest in real estate. Real estate people understand. People don't always understand the stock market. So you have to give context to where we're coming from. Brother, for me I think you're very successful right now. I really want to grow up together. But you lived in the UK, came back to establish this business in here. I just want you to advise fellow brothers and sisters out there. But first of all, I just want to ask you, is it worth it to invest your money in real estate? For sure. But I keep saying you have to buy the right thing. But you know, the reality is that you're seeing something that I'm very proud of. I'm very proud of this building. Because like I said, you could be anywhere in the world. Ghana is changing. In the 10 to 12 years that I've been here, it's changed and it's constantly changing. There's a rising segment of population who are exposed, they have money, and they do want to buy real estate. So it's really a demand and supply. If there's more capital chasing land, population growth, then real estate prices will go up. So from a Ghana's perspective, yes, we're starting from such a low base that real estate long term makes sense. Just like any investment product, I think it's a good place to be long term. If you've got a long term investment view, Ghana is a good bet. I just wanted to know, during this transition, what were the major challenges that you faced? No, I mean it's a combination of, I joined a company that was normally Ghanaian. There's a few expats in management. But there's a small group of people that always question, are you an expat, are you Ghanaian? They don't accept you. It's like, okay, you have a funny accent and you really want a bus. So it always have a group, and they question your expertise. It's just very weird, weird dynamic. However, there's a group of people who also welcome you back. It's like, let's work together. And that's also, it's just like any organization. I think those who also do come back, I've met a few people who I think it's sometimes also good to have a bit of humility. Because you're coming back and somehow you think you have slightly more advantageous work experience and education than others. But the work environment is very different. So I encourage people to have the humility to learn what's on the ground. Because you're bringing two best practice together in a company. So there's a lot that they also can also learn about what goes on the ground. I've been blessed to work in media, investment banking in real estate. And there's definitely a lot you can learn from media here, real estate here. And sharing of ideas that's what makes this whole thing work. So I encourage people to have the humility when they come back and not think that they know that they have superior knowledge or experience than the guys on the ground. Basically you're trying to say that you should learn to work with the people on the ground. Learn to be humble and learn to just listen and learn. And don't just come and shoot from the hip. Mr Hansen, like I just want to know how many apartment have you built in Ghana so far? Probably around 300 in the last 10 years I'll say. But obviously we were building up. So it was 8 units, 28 units, 45 units, 30 units, 62 units. This obviously is 103 units. So obviously we're getting bigger over time. But the market is growing. But at the same time we are in a corona environment. This year is going to be a bit tricky. So maybe we'll scale back next year but it's an interesting market but it has the challenges but the opportunity is definitely there. So just advise your fellow brothers and sisters to come back home. What are you going to tell them? You know this advice, I would say come home but come on your own terms. I think a lot of people say come home, come home and they're not prepared. And what you're seeing, you're seeing the end result but you don't know the wahala behind it. You can tell us the wahala behind it. What I'm doing, I probably couldn't do anywhere else. I'm very honoured to be Ghana and the fact that I had the opportunity to do these kind of projects. But I always get asked should I come back? The simple answer is yes but on your own terms. Meaning are you coming back having a plan? Is there a job at home? Is there a roof of your head? What's the plan? Don't just come home and hope that the job market is the same as in UK. In UK you go online, there's jobs there, there's recruitment consultants, people will help you. Here it feels like luck because you're dealing with your network. You have to ask an uncle and you want to take the element of luck outside of moving back. So that's my advice. Ghana's a great place if you have a few basic needs covered. Last question before I let you go. I'm talking about creating jobs in Africa because some people want to come back home but they can't be back home to look for a job. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough. I just want you to tell me. No, it's tough. Like I said, the labour market is not like what you're used to outside. Yes, we have the internet but some companies, the websites they don't always update it. You know how it's like. So it just remove the element of luck from your job search process by definitely doing research from outside finding ways to come back. Take your time. Don't just land in Ghana or Koteka and just say, I'm home. It's a real awakening. But like I said, Ghana's a beautiful place. It's just, it's home. So come back on your own terms otherwise what will happen is that yes, people come back, they're not settled, they haven't really thought through and then they go back. That's what we don't want. So we want people to come back and add value. So that's my advice. Yeah, I just want to say thank you so much for talking to me. Okay, thank you.