I Met The Youngest Real Estate Entrepreneur In Ghana 🇬🇭

If you had a chance to change one thing in Africa, what would it be? I think it would be our mindset. What is it about our mindset that you would love to change? I think, you know, we've been, the world is staged in a way for us to be inferior and at the bottom chain, you know. But once you begin to get a positive mindset and also you look down history, you know what we are capable of, what our ancestors have achieved. And there's nothing you set your mind to that you can't achieve. Wow. Which means that it is possible if you set your mind on it. Certainly, it's very possible. We live in Africa where people don't believe in Africa, don't even believe that it's possible to make it in Africa. You can't blame them so much because even growing up, we all kind of see the West as heaven, you know. And I feel like it's part of their branding, you know. They say America is one of the most branded things in the world, you know. So I feel like that is why people think they can make it. And also they've seen people make it, you know. But we've seen more people make it there. That is why we have that mindset. But trust me, there are a lot of people also making it here. I am wearing a Ghanaian t-shirt today, you know why? Because I'm excited to celebrate a young man doing an incredible job just to change the negative narrative of Africa. It's really beautiful to see that Africans are building Africa, man. As a young man, what really inspires you to invest in Ghana? I'm a proud Ghanaian and I believe in Ghana, I mean. Thank you. I believe we can. We all saw Dubai being built. So why can't it be done here? I strongly believe we can do it. You look so young, man. I am very young. Very young? It means that the future of Africa is for Africans. Yes. I mean, young Africans like yourself. And it belongs to the youth, you know. It belongs to the youth. I feel like the old people have lived there and it's about time for us to take over and, you know, build the Africa we want, the Africa we desire. What we see elsewhere can be done here. Hello, Oka Tunchi, I'm a free fire here. And I'm a serial entrepreneur from Ghana, West Africa. I'm the CEO of Locos Estate. Locos Estate is a Ghanaian-owned real estate development company that focuses on uncompromising luxury living. Our goal is to change the narrative of the way we live in Africa. You know, as the perception is out there thinking we live on trees, but it's the opposite. We live like kings and queens here. Why should someone buy from you? Well, you should buy from Locos because, first, we are very intentional about what we do. Very passionate. And most importantly, we offer you an unreasonable value. You know, everything we give you appreciates with time. It ages like fine wine. Do you think it's worth it investing in real estate? I think it's worth it investing in real estate. But however, you must invest in the right real estate. What do you mean by that? Yeah, you know, before you invest into something, you must do your research, you know. Location really matters. And the type of development really matters as well. At Locos Estate, we are very passionate about our designs and the functionality of the spaces we create. What is a future goal for you? The future goal for me is to be able to empower fellow Africans and youth like myself. You know, I believe about touching lives and that is something I'm very passionate about. What would be your message for Africans across the globe watching us right now? My message to everyone is to believe in Africa and to let everyone know that the time is now to come back home and let's build the Africa we all want. So you believe that it's only Africans that can build Africa? Well, everybody can. But if you are building something for yourself, something that is your own, you see the passion and the commitment to it is different. You don't expect somebody to develop something for you because at the end of the day, whatever a foreigner comes and does here, they will repatriate their profit back to wherever they came from. But as an African coming to develop here, you benefit and then the profit you can also invest back again. But you know, to shock you, the amount of money a lot of foreign companies repatriate from this continent annually. So we shouldn't be so surprised that it's possible to be done here. But then we don't believe in that. You see, that's what I was telling earlier on, that you have to believe in yourself because a lot of times when I share ideas, even with this where we are standing, I spoke to a lot of people I really look up to. And one person was like, it's not worth it if you listen to me. And I realized that most of the time, people try to put their fear on you. So if you have a vision, you have to believe in it. And sometimes you have to be stubborn about it. Because you talk to people thinking, it's not everybody that will like it. But sometimes when it comes to life, and then they will get it. Listen, I am super proud of you, man. Thank you. Like you look so young. And you don't think what you've done is really incredible? I know I get that a lot. I mean, but I just feel like if young people are given the chance and opportunity, we can do better. I mean, you know, not to say that the older people can't, but you know, they can stay back and guide us, you know. Are you saying that the older generation are not giving us the opportunities? I think we are not being given enough opportunities, you know. By this time, we should be managing the cities and what have you, you know. And it shouldn't be political. It should be based on merit. Yeah, I understand. And everything I do, I think it's always passionate. It never feels like a work or anything difficult for me. I always enjoy the process. And that is it. You know, I feel like what every applicant desires or needs to give is an opportunity. Because if we never had an opportunity, we wouldn't have been here today. And you wouldn't have seen what we are capable of. So once the opportunity is given, I think we can achieve everything. I never planned to be in this field. But, you know, but growing up too, I'd always have interest for engineering, mechanics, you know. Like 10 months, I've always had that interest. But given the opportunity, I did business administration at Kenya University. Nothing relating to construction or architecture. But with opportunity and passion over time, I think I've learned a lot. Does it mean that someone gave you the opportunity? Yes, I had an opportunity. My first opportunity in real estate was when I had to supervise a project for my uncle. Even though as a child, I had interest for things like this and engineering. I mean, at a very young age, I started building logos, constructing. So there was that passion. But then getting out of university first, it wasn't like that I was coming to do real estate. Okay. I was just home waiting on a certificate and the national service posting. And then my uncle told me to supervise this project for him. Because he was building his dream home. And he was having a misunderstanding with the contractor who was working on it. Because he was looking for something not just today, but something that could stand the test of time. Okay. So that's when I got into real estate. So the project had a lot of challenges when I got into it. Did you finish your uncle's project? We finished it. So once we finished that project, a lot of people came around. Because it was also at a very prime location. Okay. The people driving around always asked, is it for sale? Is it for sale? But we thought it wasn't for sale. And then people were like, okay, if it's not for sale, can you do something for us? Can you do something for us? And then that's how it started. This is one of your very first estates that you built. Yeah, this is one of our very first in this neighborhood. And also our very first real estate for sale. So this is where we started from. And we started from here because the land here is a bit calmer with few disputes. So this was where at the time our muscles and our finances cooled. And we came here when it was a bush. But we saw the vision. We came here before they did all the roads. So we came in at a time where I would say nobody would want us now. How many houses did you build in here? So we did three units and then we sold a couple of lands at the end as well. And let's talk about 2026. How many houses have you built for people? So we've done over 19 projects. That's amazing. Yeah, we've done over 19 projects. Okay. So we started very humbly. Okay. Very humbly from East Lagon, East Lagon Hills. And this is what we had to do. This is Kantumen. Is this your first ever project in Kantumen? Yeah, this is our first project in Kantumen. How do you feel knowing that you have a project in a very prime location? I give all glory to God first of all. I mean without him this wouldn't have been possible. And it feels good. But I know there's more to be done. So after your uncle gave you that opportunity, where did you get your first ever capital to start your own project? I started with strategy. Strategy, not capital. You know, real estate is very capital intensive. Yep. Yeah, so when I saw the vision, I spoke to my parents to give me some capital. But they didn't believe in what I've seen. And they believed in what they were doing. So what they... Wait a minute. You asked your parent, which means that you knew your parent could afford to give you the money. I mean, I knew in a way, you know. I was to a point, I wasn't even like, you know, whatever inheritance you have for me after that, give it to me now. Did they give it to you? No, no. They didn't? They told me it's not for me. It's for their generation, generation to come. So I think that's also one of the things that shaped me. Because so growing up as a little young boy, my parents made it clear to me that whatever is theirs is not mine. Wow. You know, so it kind of made me know that whatever I want, whatever I desire, I had to work hard for it. And they are also very hardworking. So I took that discipline, hardworking, dedication from them. But I think our desires are different. Okay. You know, so as I, you know, they're giving me education, seeing the world, getting exposure. The desire keeps getting bigger and bigger and better. So I knew I had to... I was on my own if I wanted to fulfill this vision. Okay. So that's why I say I started with strategy, not capital. So now it means that your parents never gave you the money? No, but instead they gave me a business. They gave you a business? What business is that? It's a family business. We do trading. So I started on and then my goal was... To raise money? Yeah. My goal, after my uncle's project, and after doing other projects for other people, I had passion for real estate. Wow. Every project I do, I go to bed thinking about it. You know, this particular project we find ourselves in, go to bed and even wants the morning to come very quickly so we can continue. So there's a lot of passion about what we do. But then also most important, I believe in the long-term goal. Okay. You know, in the very long-term goal. So even with my little businesses, I could have been, you know, living comfortably, but I had to kind of destrategize and invest in the future. This is a project for the future. And what is so unique about this particular project? It's intelligent design combined with luxury living. So we have very functional floor spaces. We make sure the spaces are functional. And we did the market research, you know, what was missing in the market? That's one of the most important. We find out what was missing in the market and realize that something of this sort was missing. If you say something of this sort, what are the kind of houses are you building in here? So we have this luxurious villa, five bedroom villa. We come to the private swimming pool, two living rooms, your home office. The last floor is a penthouse for the master, has everything the master will need. That is real luxury living, you know. This looks like townhomes. Yeah, these are townhomes. These are three bedroom townhomes. We have three units of these. Okay. So in total, how many units in here? In total, we have seven units. And we have a clubhouse in the corner, which has a gym and a private cinema. Are you selling any unit in here? Yes, unfortunately, there's nothing available for sale here. But we have something similar like this in Laboni, which is like three minutes drive from here. Okay. Welcome to our new site. My goodness. You're still building? We can't stop building. Bro, you're so young. You need to relax, man. You don't think so? At this age that we have the energy, we have the minds that, you know, we can think of these creative works, then this is the right time to do all this work. So we can retire comfortably. Yep. But I hope this is not sold out. No, this is not sold out. This is not sold out? Yeah. What kind of community are you building in here? So this project is called Mykes. And Mykes is an exclusive community of seven residents. We have four townhouses. What we see here is two of them. We're going to have another two on this side. Okay. And on this side, we are having three villas. Oh, just like the countrymen project. And each unit comes with a private swimming pool, two living rooms, a penthouse for the master. I think I can show you better than I can tell you. So I believe that the people watching this video, after seeing all the things you've done, they would love to buy. I hope it's affordable. It's very affordable. And location is very prime. Yeah, it's a very prime location. The airport is like five minutes away. There are banks, hospital. This is Laboni, in the heart of the city. Yep. Embassies are just five, two minutes away from here. And it's not just about the location, it's also about the value. You know, I've been talking a lot about long term. If you invest in one of these today, you can retire comfortably. Because if you don't stay in, and you even want to use it for rent, it's a very good investment, trust me. Better than T-bills, bonds, and all of that. So I hope you will all reach out to the numbers on your screen. Finally, they got a unit for sale. Reach out the numbers on the screen. And then yeah, buy one, get one. Free. So welcome to Locos Avenue. Over here, we have short stays from two-bedroom apartment, studio, and then three-bedroom houses. What are you not into? Well, everything. In everything, anything concerning real estate. From advisory and consultancy. Oh, wow. Design and planning, facility management, property development. So we can help you develop your own project. And we can manage for you after. It's a 360 shop. Everything relating to real estate. No, I don't think you have an interior designing shop. No, we do. We have a design studio. So we purposely built design studio. Okay. Handles all the design. Are you kidding me? Yeah. Like in terms of interior design. Yeah. So they are solely in charge of our finishing works and the execution of all interior and finishings. That's insane. Yeah. We take interior design very seriously. Okay. Most people don't even see the need. So when people come to our office and you talk to them, they don't see the need of the... All they want is the architectural drawing. Because even with that, it's the requirement to get a building permit. Other than that, some people don't even want that. They just work with any foreman and build anything. But one thing people don't know that you spend more time inside the house than outside the house. So if there's anything that much emphasis should be put on, it's the interior. So we don't joke with our interiors at all. How many units? Over here, we have eight units. Eight units? Yeah. So we have four, two bedrooms, two studios, and two, three bedroom houses. Would you say it's worth it? I would say it's worth it. It's worth it. So you build, you're not selling. No, this is just for rent. For rent? This is just solely for rent. This guy is so smart. You know what he's trying to do? I hope it's not like you're waiting for the property price to appreciate before you start selling. You see, the thing is that there are some properties we've sold it, and sometimes when we get there, we drive by, we regret it. Because, you know, I always tell you, it's an appreciation. A good development appreciates over time, whilst a bad project depreciates with time. Because with time, it exposes all the cracks, the shoddy works, the corners you cut, over time it will expose you. Whereas if you do a good job, over time you see the building shining and appreciating. So sometimes you sell something to somebody and you realize how much you sold it to the person. And a year later, you see how developed the neighborhood is, and how skyrocketing the prices are now. And you're like, wow. What is your biggest ever regret? I would say one of them would be some properties I sold at a certain price. Like I was telling you yesterday, believing. Because if you believe in what you are creating and the value you've created, sometimes you shouldn't let anybody talk you down on your price. I think this is something everybody watching now should really take seriously. If you create something and you believe in what you create, you should stand on your ground on the value you've created. Because some of the buildings were sold at a cheaper price, and even the people who paid it, they know that they had a good deal. So it would be one of our regrets. And another one is also not working with professionals. Earlier in the stages, there are some people who came to us claiming to be professionals, but after you give them the chance and the opportunity, you realize that it wasn't what it was. So we also do due diligence with our subcontractors and vendors we work with thoroughly. You finally built an affordable housing. Finally. Yeah, so what does affordable mean to you? Okay, affordable means, you know, the average Ghanaian being able to afford. Okay. Understand? Yeah. But affordable, it took us a while because it requires proper planning. The math has to make sense, you know, because even the land alone is expensive. No, very expensive. Where we are, a plot of land can cost you roughly $60,000 to $90,000. Yeah. And you're building a house that costs how much? 1.5 million cities. 1.5 million cities, which is roughly less than $120,000. Yes, depending on the exchange rate. Okay, how many bedrooms? So this is a three bedroom. Okay. And it's going to have seven units. It's a gated community with a clubhouse. Okay. Yeah. Wow, all in suits? All in suits with a guest toilet. And then you have a rooftop, you can enjoy the breeze and the serenity of the neighborhood. Nice. And it's all for one point? Yes, starting from 1.5 million cities. Seven only? Seven only. Okay. So, hey, if you're looking forward to relocate to Ghana, or if you want to buy a home right here in East Ligon Hills, yes, reach out to the numbers on your screens. I really want to know how is it like being a young entrepreneur in Ghana? Well, being a young entrepreneur in Ghana, I would say has been easy and hasn't been easy. That's interesting. Hasn't been easy in the sense that if you are competing with your father's age mate. He'd be like, you're a small boy. Exactly, so sometimes there's even this prejudice. I've been to a meeting where the landlady saw me and she was like, you can't do it. Oh. That was it. There was also another one where we had a deal with this, a very renowned football legend in Ghana, I won't mention names. And everything, he liked everything we proposed, but he was insisting to see the white faces behind us. And we told him that it's just my team and I. What does it mean? He wants to see white faces. Does it mean that he doesn't believe that young black people can achieve it? Oh, wow. Yeah, so the deal fell off. He never continued the deal? No, he didn't. He just didn't have the confidence that we are capable. I want to know, how many young people are you working with? Most of my immediate staffs are very young. I would say our average age would be 26, 27. Oh, wow. And then we also have other workers at the site and whatever. We have a very big team, but the immediate ones are all younger. And then where we require experience, like our structural engineers, steel benders, foremans, we work with old people. We work with people with 30 years experience, 25 years experience. So we could also tap into it. So we, the Gen Z's, bring the tech and the trends and what's happening now. And the experienced people also back that up with the experience. Oh, wow. So in total, like how many people are you working with? I would say directly 50, but indirectly plenty, a lot. You know, we've really provided a lot of jobs in our eight years of operations. And really impacted on the economy and the societies in which we do our developments. As I was telling you, somewhere like Ebri, for instance, we've really provided a lot of jobs. And we're very intentional about working with the locals. Anywhere we have a project, we develop it. It's not just our project. We don't develop in isolation because for a great development, there should be other adjoining factors. So somewhere like Ebri, for instance, we build a road, like I was telling you the other time, to the development we are doing. And even though we are not done, you could see the value we've put in the community. What have you been doing to touch lives since you just talked about this? So we have a foundation which helps a lot from our foundation. We've donated a school block to the community of Jaso. And we've also made a significant donation to the police hospital. And there are a lot, but these are the two that I can think of at the moment. But philanthropy is a part of the work we do. And we believe that... They said when your neighbor is hungry, you are not safe. So we want to make sure that we empower people, especially the people around us and the community you work in. I deserve a round of applause, man. I don't even know the kind of words I should use to describe the young man behind me. Because I thought he's just building houses, not knowing that he's also building resorts to take care of people like us. You know people like us? More like a wellness center. And I love the Afrocentric nature of the place. Meaning? Why the Africanized name? But the original name of this place is Jamaica. But Jamaica should be the next town. The entire area. So I mean, Beposo, Jamaica. That's quite impressive, man. Not just building this. I see other chalets. Is it a chalet or? Yeah, so we have pool villas and we also have vacation homes. You're taking advantage of your entire surroundings? No, we're just building proper planning and, you know, making sure no one's view is obstructed. We also don't want it too populated. And so far we've planted about 200 trees and we continue to plant more. We wanted to make it very green. Unfortunately, when we got the land, it had already been cleared. So the only three trees we were able to save. The other ones that went off or that had already been fell, we used some for our reception decks. We used some for our bar as well because we wanted to give it an afterlife. And then, yes, we want to make it very green. Already the air is fresh and we want to make it more greener. The one thing that I love about being here is the views that you get in here. Incredible views, man. And I'm just letting you all know that if you ever find yourself in Ghana or if you're living in Ghana and looking for a hideout, trust me, Piposu is the place. This is the last property that we're farming for the day. Yeah. And I just want to tell you something. You're a visionary, man. Thank you. Because, I mean, the location of this property, I believe that so many people would not even want to build in here, but they chose to build in here. And I came in here and I'm seeing the view in front of me and I'm like, is it really strategic for you to build in here? We wanted something where the moment you get there, even though you're in Ghana, you feel like you're away. You know, you're away from your troubles, you know, from the daily wahalas. You know, it's like just something you can really embrace nature, you know. Yeah. So that is why we are also very intentional about keeping all the trees. You know, see this tree has been left here and the building was designed around the tree. So all the trees we have in this project site have design was done around the trees. You didn't cut any tree. What has been your biggest challenge? I would say my biggest challenge would be, one would be finance, you know. You should ask me. Money won't be a problem on Saturday. Please don't ask me. How has finance been a major challenge? You know, access to finance is one of the major challenges, systematic bureaucracy and trust issues. You know, something like if you want to do a land search, it takes, sometimes you are lucky you can come in two weeks, sometimes it could take two months. But the major one is finance because if you have foreign players coming in to do real estate and they are working with finance and maybe it's just 3% interest, there's no way you can compete with such people. What is the biggest mistake that you've made on this journey? I would say sometimes would be not following the numbers or the data, but rather following maybe your heart. You follow your heart a lot? Sometimes you have to. Sometimes your lawyers can tell you, you know, we did due diligence on this thing, but we are not 100%. Sometimes it's up to you to take the risk. If you had a chance to change one thing in Africa, what would it be? I would say our mentality. Yeah, I would say our mentality. And it comes back to what I was saying that nobody can build the Africa we want for us. Anybody you think is helping you is rather benefiting from you. Africa has it all. We have it all. It's just we believe in ourselves and taking charge. And the Africa we want to see, no one is going to do it for us. We have to do it ourselves. And little by little, we will get there. And Africa is out of Africa. They should come home and let's all build the Africa we want. And you know, Dr. Aquaman Kumar said, every black person, wherever, where you may find yourself, you're African. So on this note, I want to encourage each and everyone to invest in Africa. Let's come together to build Africa, just like how he is building Africa one house at a time. But I believe that as Africans, we also need to support dreams like this. So guess what? The link is in the description. The numbers are on the screen. Make sure you reach out. Get yourself a copy to support a brother. Thank you so much. And don't forget to like this video. Subscribe and be part of this awesome channel. And I'll see you all in the next one. Bye.