Legal practitioner Professor Kwame Gyan has recounted how he gave up a well-paying career in the United States to return to Ghana, saying his experience demonstrates that there is value in staying home and identifying opportunities despite the country’s challenges.Prof Gyan was speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, September 11, during a discussion on whether Ghana is worth staying in, following comments by Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey Santana, about opportunities available in the country.Mr Santana had argued that many Ghanaians fail to recognise opportunities at home, while foreigners often identify and take advantage of them.“If you give me $100,000 in your monthly salary to live in America or to live in the UK, I’ll choose Ghana,” he said.The comments have triggered a broader debate about whether Ghanaians should remain in the country and pursue opportunities at home or relocate to countries where they believe better economic and career prospects exist.Prof Gyan said his own experience offered a perspective worth considering.From Ghana to the USProf Gyan said he left Ghana in 1991 to pursue graduate studies in the United States.He attended Temple Law School and New York University (NYU) Law School before securing a position at the Ford Foundation’s head office in New York.“I left this country in the year 1991. Went to graduate school in America. I was fortunate. I attended the best schools,” he said.“I went to Temple Law School, went to NYU Law School. I got a job at the Ford Foundation head office in New York. And the organisation got me an H visa.”He explained that the visa was granted because of his professional qualifications and merit.“And anybody who knows an H visa, it is for foreigners with distinguished merit. You must have something to say before you get the H,” he said.By 1998, Prof Gyan said he was earning approximately $75,000 a year in the United States.However, an immigration requirement attached to the visa under which he had initially travelled to the US meant he had to return to Ghana after completing his studies.He said the University of Ghana intervened with the US Immigration Service as he prepared to return.“I had gone there on a visa called a J visa. And in my passport, there was a stamp that says I was subject to section 212, big E. It means that after graduation, I should come to my own country and stay for at least two years before I can come back,” he explained.From $75,000 to $2,000Returning to Ghana meant accepting a dramatic reduction in income.“The lights were off. The investment salary that was going to offer me was $2,000 a year at that time. From $75,000 a year to $2,000 a year,” Prof Gyan said.He said several people advised him to find a way to remain in the United States because of the career and financial opportunities available to him.“I was advised by all kinds of people, I should get somebody to marry and stay while doing this job. It’s too good to go. Ghana was in turmoil,” he recalled.His decision was further complicated by another career opportunity he had received in the US.Prof Gyan said he had been offered a position at the US Court of International Trade, but accepting the job would have required him to become an American citizen.“I had also gotten an opportunity if I decided I would stay. I was offered a job at the U.S. Court of International Trade, which was going to change my citizenship,” he said.“They were going to do it for me handy, because that job, you’re required to be an American before you can hold that job.”Despite the opportunity, Prof Gyan said he was unwilling to give up his Ghanaian citizenship.“I thought, I told myself, why should I change my citizenship? I’m going home,” he said.‘Is it all just about money?’Prof Gyan said he has since taught 27 batches of law students over 27 years, an achievement he considers a significant contribution to Ghana.“I have taught 27 batches of law students. Yes, I’ve taught for 27 years,” he said.He said the opportunity to train successive generations of lawyers has given him a sense of fulfilment that cannot be measured solely by the income he could have earned abroad.“I’ve never gone on leave. So if each year the class was 50, how many have I produced?” he asked.Prof Gyan acknowledged that remaining in the United States would probably have made him wealthier.“Why would I, I mean, I would have made money in America, yes, but is it all just about money?” he asked.He said he had not made significant financial gains from remaining in Ghana, but believed the opportunity to contribute to the country had made the decision worthwhile.“I’ve never made money in Ghana as well. I’m high-powered,” he said.For Prof Gyan, the ability to influence people, train professionals and contribute to national discourse represents a different form of value.“So I mean, it’s worth being around,” he said.