For many Africans living abroad, building a large house back home is a cherished dream, often seen as a symbol of success. However, I would argue that the real beneficiaries of these properties are not the owners but the caretakers who reside in them year-round.
It’s a common scenario: an African, working and living overseas, invests heavily in constructing a grand house back home, a house they may only visit once a year for a few weeks. Meanwhile, the caretaker enjoys the house daily, living in its beauty and comfort from the moment of completion. The owner, on the other hand, returns 10 or 15 years later, often to find that the property’s appeal has faded with time, leaving them with a depreciated asset.
Why do so many of us build these elaborate homes when we are hardly ever around to enjoy them? Society pressures us into thinking that owning a house back home is a must, that it somehow validates our success abroad. Yet, in reality, we are spending vast amounts of money on properties we hardly use, while someone else benefits from our hard-earned investment.
It baffles me even more when people build houses far too big for their needs. A family of three or four, constructing a nine-bedroom mansion that remains mostly empty. Who are those extra rooms for? Ghosts? Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining such a large property becomes a financial burden, draining resources that could be used for more practical purposes.
- Would anyone go out and buy ten doughnuts only to eat three and throw away the rest, simply because they can? Then why do the same with houses?
I know someone who has been building a 12-bedroom house in his village for nine years. He rents a small room in the U.S., working long hours and funneling his savings into this grand project. The mansion is already outdated in design, and at the current pace, it will take another five years to finish—if he ever finishes it. He dreams of one day returning home to live in it, but the reality is, he might never get the chance.
The truth is, life doesn’t always go according to plan. I once heard about a 43-year-old man who died unexpectedly in the U.S. He had been working tirelessly to build a nine-bedroom house back home. Sadly, he never got to see it completed, and after his death, his family sold the property because it was too large for them to manage.
Too often, Africans abroad build these houses to project a certain image or impress people back home, forgetting to live in the moment. They envision themselves enjoying these grand homes in retirement, but who are they really trying to impress at 65 or 70? By then, they’ll be more concerned with their health than with maintaining a sprawling mansion. How many elderly people can even climb the stairs in a 12-bedroom house?
In contrast, many Westerners downsize their homes as they age, opting for smaller, more manageable spaces. Yet, we seem determined to live modestly while we’re young and energetic, only to aspire to live extravagantly when we’re old and frail.
It’s important to plan for the future, but we must do so wisely. The only guarantee we have is the present moment. While it’s prudent to invest in tomorrow, it shouldn’t come at the expense of living a balanced and meaningful life today.
By Chris-Vincent Agyapong.
