'Pampered Childhoods Breed Failure' - Seidu Agongo
Accra, Ghana - 24 March, 2025 - A leading Ghanaian businessman and philanthropist Seidu Agongo has cautioned that excessive comfort in childhood can hinder success, arguing that hardship is essential for shaping responsible and resilient individuals.
Agongo, a prominent entrepreneur, shared his insights in a recent interview, criticizing modern parenting for prioritizing luxury over discipline. He warned that this approach risks raising individuals who are unable to sustain their family's wealth and legacy.
Mr. Agongo drew on his own experiences, highlighting how his challenging upbringing helped shape his success. He emphasized the importance of discipline, critical thinking, and self-reliance in raising responsible children.
"My problem with today’s upbringing is that we pamper our kids too much. Sometimes we make it look as if we are going to be there for the kids forever," he said. "What brings success is the hardship that we go through. It’s only when you go through hardship that you can think as a human, flourish, and become your true self,'' he stated in an interview with Tv XYZ on March 13, 2025.
The businessman also touched on a broader issue in Ghanaian and African decision-making, where personal relationships and emotions often take precedence over merit.
"A typical Ghanaian or African leader takes decisions based on attachment – this person is my son, this person is my daughter, this person is my cousin. We don’t take decisions based on the wisdom or knowledge of the person,
"You are giving your kids options to choose which car to drive, which school to attend, what shoes to wear, on money that the kids didn’t make. And your money, no matter how rich you are, you can’t sustain it for up to two generations after you if you don’t train the kids well," he warned.
"Pampering doesn’t make the brain think. Just imagine that today everything you want in life, you get it – what do you have to think for? So you don’t think. It’s only when there is difficulty that creativity sets in."
He argued that this approach is a fundamental flaw that affects businesses, governance, and family wealth sustainability.
"Until we take decisions based on wisdom and knowledge – that I didn’t even know him from anywhere but I think this person is worth my support – we’ll go nowhere."
Mr. Agongo's comments have sparked a debate about the importance of hardship and discipline in shaping successful individuals.
Source: Lead News Online
