Everyday People: Meet Elisha, the university student selling yam to fuel his dream of becoming an accountant

During the day, he is known for selling tubers of yams, while always wearing a friendly smile. At night, he takes his books to the school hall to study.

Elisha Nayo, a student at the Accra Technical University, hustles on the streets of Accra to make ends meet so that he can pursue his dream of becoming a chartered accountant.

In an interview with GhanaWeb's Victoria Kyei Baffour on the Everyday People program, Elisha shared that he has always wanted to be an accountant since childhood.

However, financial difficulties along the way threatened this dream.

Despite this, Elisha has not let life's challenges crush his aspirations, venturing into a business that his parents once managed.

Through this, he began to sell tubers of yam, and for the past seven years, has been known as a yam seller.

It was through this experience and after saving some money that he decided to gain admission to the university to chase his personal dream.

“I've been selling yam for the past seven years. When I finished school, I looked for jobs but couldn't find any, so, I decided to join my parents in their yam-selling business. My dream has always been to become an accountant. As time passed and I saved some money, I realized I couldn't waste it. I knew I needed to further my education to become a better person in the future, which is why I decided to return to school,” he said in Twi.

Elisha also shared some experiences from his time in school.

He said that due to his financial situation, there were days when he felt overwhelmed by the lifestyles of some students from wealthy backgrounds.

Despite this, Elisha said he stayed focused on his goals.

“Sometimes, when you meet people of high status, you realize their lifestyle is different from yours, but you also learn to manage your life in such situations. It was somewhat challenging because there were children of wealthy individuals, and then there was me, without much money, caught in the middle. I noticed they lived differently, but we were focusing on education to learn and pass and secure a better future,” he told the host.

Watch the full interview below:





VKB/AE