Ghanaian businessman and philanthropist Seidu Agongo has warned that excessive comfort in childhood can hinder success, arguing that hardship is the key ingredient in shaping responsible and resilient individuals.

Speaking in an interview with TV XYZ on Thursday, 13 March, Mr Agongo criticised modern parenting, saying that many children today are being pampered to the point where they cannot think critically and solve problems.

"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."

The businessman shared insights from his own life, highlighting how his early experiences helped shape his success.

Despite his father being financially stable, Mr Agongo did not grow up in a privileged environment but rather in Burma Camp with an uncle who was a military officer.

The challenges he faced during his upbringing, he said, instilled in him the resilience and problem-solving skills that led to his achievements today.

The Risks of Soft Upbringing

According to Mr Agongo, modern parents who shower their children with luxuries risk raising individuals who are unable to sustain their family’s wealth and legacy.

He questioned the logic behind giving children expensive choices without them having worked for them.

"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.

He argued that comfort eliminates the need for critical thinking, creativity, and self-reliance. "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."

Discipline Over Luxury

Mr Agongo stressed that discipline is essential for raising responsible children.

He lamented that many parents lack the strength to instil discipline, fearing that it might make them unpopular.

"Most parents are not strong. They easily give up. At the end of the day, I’m training my child to one day take over from me, and you can't train a child by pampering them," he asserted.

He further argued that children must be exposed to life’s challenges to develop problem-solving skills. "You should let them understand difficulties. Once there are difficulties, you think of alternative solutions."

Decision-Making and Legacy Preservation

Beyond parenting, Mr Agongo pointed to a broader issue in Ghanaian and African decision-making, where personal relationships and emotions take precedence over merit. He contrasted this with Nigeria, where he claimed business mogul Aliko Dangote’s success is not solely due to family connections but a result of strategic investments based on competence.

"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," he said.

He cautioned that making decisions based on personal relationships rather than merit is a fundamental flaw that affects not only businesses but also 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."

For Mr Agongo, the message is clear: success is earned through hardship, and only by instilling resilience in the next generation can parents hope to preserve their legacies.