“The Grass is Greener Where You Water It” – OSABU

By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi

Certified midwife and entrepreneur, Rosina Naa Ayeley Osabu, is making a passionate appeal to Ghanaian youth to rethink the mass exodus abroad in search of greener pastures. Speaking on ZED FM’s I Have A Story, Osabu, who has spent years working in the healthcare sector while building a thriving business locally, shared her concerns about the growing trend of young Ghanaians abandoning their dreams and potential at home in pursuit of life abroad. She described the belief that success can only be achieved outside Ghana as “misguided and harmful,” especially in the long-term development of the country’s human resource base.

“The grass isn’t greener abroad; the grass is greener where you water it. If we keep pouring all our energy, ideas, and efforts into other people’s countries, what are we leaving behind for Ghana?” she said.

According to Osabu, Ghanaian youth are increasingly falling for the illusion that life abroad guarantees financial success and comfort. However, she says this fantasy often comes at a high cost, one that includes losing identity, enduring poor living conditions, and, in many cases, facing exploitation.

“I have had friends and colleagues who left thinking they were going to live the dream, only to end up doing menial jobs under difficult circumstances. Many of them regret the decision. We are exporting our brightest minds and strongest youth, but importing foreign goods and ideologies we can’t sustain,” she said.

As a healthcare professional, Osabu has firsthand experience of the country’s challenges particularly in maternal health and rural access to care, but says that those gaps also offer vast opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth.

Through her own journey, she has demonstrated that resilience and determination can yield results, even in the most difficult environments.

“I didn’t wait for everything to be perfect. I started small, serving my community with what I had. From there, I was able to grow not only a business but a sense of purpose,” she shared.

Beyond her career in midwifery, Osabu has become a voice of inspiration through youth mentorship, particularly for young childen. She encourages them to build something locally, whether in agriculture, tech, health, or the arts. She says the country is teeming with untapped potential, and what is needed is bold, homegrown ambition.

“Our young people have ideas. They just need to believe that they can build here. Government can’t do everything, but we can support one another. We must change our mindset from escape to investment,” she advised.

Her comments come amid growing concern over Ghana’s increasing rate of youth migration. According to recent data from the Ghana Immigration Service and international agencies, there has been a sharp rise in applications for travel visas, student placements, and illegal migration attempts among Ghanaians under the age of 35. This trend has sparked national debate, with some blaming unemployment and lack of opportunities for the migration surge.

But Osabu argues that while challenges exist, the solution is not to run away.

“Every great country was built by people who stayed. They went through war, poverty, and uncertainty, but they stayed. And now people are running there. What if we decided to stay and build our Ghana?”

As the nation continues to explore sustainable paths to development, voices like Rosina Osabu’s are increasingly critical in reshaping the narrative around local resilience, opportunity, and national identity.

She concludes with a powerful call to action for young Ghanaians: “Be proud to be Ghanaian. Dream big, but don’t think your dreams only matter when they’re abroad. Let’s water our grass and make this place flourish for ourselves, and for future generations.” She said.