Lifestyle vs. Legacy: How the pressure to “look good and successful” is undermining values and ethical behaviour in Ghana
In today’s Ghana, a silent but powerful cultural shift is underway. More and more, the pursuit of, and admiration for titles, status, expensive lifestyles, flashy appearances, and public displays of riches is overshadowing the virtues of modesty that once defined our national character.
A growing number of young people now believe that success must be loudly visible, and this desire to be seen as prosperous has become one of the subtle drivers of corruption and unethical behaviours across the fabric of our society in recent times.
The pressure to maintain an impressive public lifestyle, no matter the source of wealth, has created a dangerous cycle in which political appointees, religious leaders, especially Christian leaders, and employees stretch beyond their means to keep up appearances. Families feel compelled to spend on things that add very little value to their lives, and public officials are tempted to make unethical decisions to feel belonged and to sustain the image society expects of them. In a culture where “looking sophisticated and successful” is rewarded above “being modest and honest,” integrity and discipline are wind-swept quickly with little resistance.
This trend threatens our long-revered ethical and cultural foundations and our collective future. Economically strong nations like Singapore, China, and India were built and continue to be developed on a culture of hard work, love for country, discipline, honesty, respect, accountability, and service. These are the values that also built Europe, Canada, and America that African youth would endanger their lives to go there and have a taste of. The wealth and functional systems of the global north did not spring up in one day, but by the intentional application of these values.
Right before independence, these values were the “cultural norms” that carried Ghana through decades of challenges, fostering unity and resilience, even in difficult times. Almost all our patriotic songs, for example, belong to that era immediately following independence up to the 1980s and early 1990s. Sadly, today, we are losing these cultural values and must intentionally and, as a matter of urgency, cultivate them, especially among the youth.
It is this understanding that drives the African Future Leaders Institute of Global Affairs (AFLIGA)’s clarion call for a nationwide civic education initiative, to instil moral integrity and civic consciousness in upper primary and junior high school pupils. It is around this significant age range that pupils begin to understand complex reasoning, systematic, hypothetical, and abstract concepts. AT this stage, they begin to form strong sense of social identity beyond family.
It will be ideal then to have a generation which identify with each other on a comprehensive, socially healthy and progressive values that seek the good and the dignity of all, than identities that celebrate individuals based on false and egoistic standards, whilest silently denigrating those contributing to building families, national legacies and a decent society, using modest means.
To reduce corruption and unethical behaviour in public life and to strengthen national character, Ghana must begin with the formative years. Young people must learn early that their worth, as members of the Ghanaian community, is not measured by what they wear or what they can show off, but by the intellectual, moral and economic value they bring to the marketplace and their commitment to honesty, responsibility, and service to the community.
AFLIGA is calling for these principles in our basic schools through values-focused lessons, storytelling sessions, and community projects that give students practical experience in leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. By working closely with teachers, district education offices, parents, Faith-based institutions and community leaders, these cherished values can be reinforced both in the classroom, in the communities, and at home. We must do our best as Ghanaians through thoughtful and intentional ways to restore the traditions of accountability and civic pride that once shaped our nation’s identity.
Across the country, we read of stories of bribery, financial mismanagement, perceptions of loss of confidence in hitherto very revered national institutions such as the police, the judiciary, and the public service. The misuse of public resources has continued to make headlines. Many of these cases are driven by the pressure to maintain a lifestyle that demands that an individual keeps up with social trends and unrealistic public expectations.
Recent data reinforce the urgency of this challenge. According to the most recent global assessment, Ghana’s score on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) dropped from 43 in 2023 to 42 in 2024 (CitiNewsroom.com). That puts Ghana at 80th out of 180 countries globally and 11th among 49 Sub-Saharan African countries (GhanaianTimes). Over the past decade, Ghana has fallen by five points on the Index, reflecting persistent challenges despite reforms. This reflects increasing public sentiment against corruption, driven by high-profile alleged cases of embezzlement. For instance, the alleged cases of corruption involving former National Service Scheme bosses, leading to the financial loss of about GH¢600 million to the state (CitiNewsroom.com) should be worrying to every Ghanaian.
Further, the integrity of our education system is under threat. In the past four years alone, a total of 146,309 candidates sitting for the West African Examinations Council (WASSCE) were involved in examination malpractice (Graphic Online). In 2024, for instance, 62,046 candidates, some 13.6% of all who took the exam, were caught for malpractice (Graphic Online). These numbers expose a failure to curb cheating, driven by the deeper erosion of values that prioritise success by any means rather than through honest effort.
Same can be said about the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, and the unethical fishing practices, conversion of wetlands that naturally control floods, for commercial construction purposes, thereby causing perennial flooding in the cities and causing damage to life and property in the process.
Illegal mining (“galamsey”) is another manifestation of greed, exploitation, and disregard for national well-being, mirroring this moral crisis. As of 2023, there were at least 119 pending court cases across Ghana involving more than 727 individuals charged with illegal mining-related offences (The Ghana Report). These actions undermine environmental integrity, the rule of law, public trust in institutions, and sustainable development.
But Ghana has another story to tell. Ours is a nation that once celebrated modesty, discipline, and community service. Our forebears built their reputation on the strength of their character and the legacy they left behind. Those values are still within reach, but they must be intentionally revived and made part of our national life.
That is why programmes like civic education initiatives are so important. They remind us that national development, though driven by infrastructure or economic policies, the values and attitudes of citizens are equally and significantly important.
The question now facing Ghana, particularly, the present generation of leaders, is simple yet profound: Do we want to be remembered as a people who chased lifestyles, public acceptance, and fame or as a nation that built lasting inter-generational legacies? The choices we make today, especially the lessons we pass on to the next generation, will answer that question for years to come.
If Ghana is to prosper, the path forward is clear. We must re-anchor our national identity in the values that shaped us in the early days following independence, while preparing our young citizens to resist the pressures that undermine integrity. It is only by returning to these foundations that we can build a country where success is measured not by what one displays but by the contribution one makes. A nation that chooses legacy over lifestyle, fame and mere public acceptance, secures its future. The time to make that choice is now.
