Dr Mensa Otabil is the General Overseer of ICGC
General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr Mensa Otabil, has encouraged young people to value working under others, cautioning that true personal fulfilment is not necessarily tied to owning a business.
Addressing participants at the Next Great Leader Summit 2.0: Wisdom at the Helm of Affairs, hosted by the University of Gold Coast (UGC), Dr Otabil emphasised that many individuals are better suited to flourish within established institutions rather than pursuing entirely independent ventures.
“I think the majority of human beings, not only in Ghana but all over the world, would find fulfilment working with somebody, for somebody, under somebody. It is the easiest way to find fulfilment in life,” he said.
He challenged the widespread notion that independence is the only path to success, suggesting that ego often prevents people from serving under leadership.
Dr Otabil pointed out that building something from scratch demands not only resilience but also mental discipline, qualities not everyone possesses.
“Not everybody can do that,” he said. “Most things happen within certain time frames. And when you miss that frame, it’s difficult for you to do it.”
He further cautioned that encouraging every young person to become an entrepreneur may do more harm than good.
“If everybody feels that they have to set up their own, we are going to create a lot of frustrated people. We are going to get people who are successful short-term but can’t sustain it”, he remarked.
He urged young Africans to develop the ability to support broader missions and to discover meaning in contributing to visions that are not self-initiated.
“I think one of the biggest skills that people must develop, especially in this part of the world, is how to learn and find fulfilment being part of something that is not yours,” he advised.
JKB/
All you need to know about the ‘chairmen’ of ‘The Enterprise’ set to be extradited to US