Author name: Dr Maxwell Ampong

Some organisations don’t fail because they lack ideas. In fact, this is true for many startups. They fail because they are unable to process the ideas they already have. When we founded Maxwell Investments Group (MIG), we had far too many ideas. And we still do. Each one felt urgent: technology ventures, sustainability initiatives, social enterprises, financial products, tourism collaborations. All of them were good, all of them possible. But if we had chased every one of them at once, MIG would have collapsed under the weight of its own ambition. So we made a difficult choice: to focus. To shelve most of the ideas, not abandon them, but register them and keep them until the company could absorb them. We chose agribusiness as our foundation. It was practical, deeply connected to livelihoods, and gave us a stable base from which to grow. Even now, today today, I keep sketching new ventures and testing side projects, but I’ve learnt to release them slowly, at a pace the organisation can handle. It’s not about stifling creativity; it’s about protecting the current production line. Ideas alone don’t guarantee progress, but executing processed ideas does. What matters isn’t how many ideas you have, but how efficiently your organisation can absorb and execute them. That balance, between creativity and capacity, determines your survival. The Paradox of Plenty could ruin your start, no matter how well you take off. Of course, you need a million other things to also go well, but let’s focus solely on the throughput of ideas for this article. From Ideas to Throughput In MIG’s early years, I believed that creativity itself was progress. If we could dream it, we could make it happen. We still shout “NO LIMITATIONS” at the office. But creativity without control can become destructive. It’s like running too many machines on a single power line; the current drops, and everything flickers. Every organisation has a rhythm, a natural rate at which it can absorb new ideas and transform them into results. Exceed that rate, and progress stalls. That rhythm is what I now call the throughput of ideas. In manufacturing, throughput refers to how efficiently raw materials flow through a production system to become finished products. The same physics apply to strategy and innovation. Every new idea introduced into the system competes for time, attention, and energy. When too many pile up, progress doesn’t speed up; it stalls. The irony is that overload often feels like productivity. Everyone is busy. Whiteboards are full. Meetings buzz with potential. Yet, the busyness hides the truth: little is truly getting done. The real bottleneck in most organisations is its absorption capacity, the ability to turn intention into implementation, not imagination. Creative backlog can be just as dangerous as a production backlog. The Physics of Organisational Capacity Think of your organisation as a production line, except your raw material is human attention. Every new initiative consumes a portion of that finite resource. You can hire more people, but you cannot endlessly multiply focus. Leadership attention is often the tightest bottleneck. Launch too many projects at once, and the very people who need to make decisions are stretched too thin to make any. Systems thinkers refer to this as a capacity constraint. When a system surpasses its processing capacity, each additional input slows down everything else. That’s why large institutions often seem sluggish. It’s not because they lack ideas, but because their internal queues are overloaded. True strategic focus is about matching ambition to available bandwidth, not about shrinking ambition. It’s wiser to complete three strong initiatives than to juggle thirty that remain half-finished. At MIG, I now ask a simple question before approving something new: Can we realistically absorb this without slowing our core operations? If the honest answer is no, the idea goes into what I call the “cooler.” It’s not forgotten; it’s deferred until the system can handle it. The Discipline of Timing A brilliant idea can simply fail because it arrived too soon. Over time, I’ve learnt that innovation is about timing, not just about ideas or effort. The right idea, released too early, can do as much harm as the wrong one. Every organisation has a maximum rate of change. Push faster than people can adapt, and even good initiatives face resistance. The trick is to release ideas only as fast as your organisation can absorb them. This principle, which I call cadence, is the rhythm that unites creative systems. In agriculture, we understand seasons: planting, growth, harvest, rest. In business, the same cycle applies. But many leaders, in their eagerness to show results, skip the fallow period. They plant new initiatives before the old ones have taken root. Pacing innovation is also stewardship. It allows time for learning, feedback, and adaptation. A well-timed idea lands softly, gains traction, and compounds. Maybe, just maybe, patience is the most underrated innovation strategy of all. Building an Idea-Ready Organisation If ideas must be paced, the next question is how to increase the organisation’s capacity to absorb them. At MIG, I have learnt that growth doesn’t simply mean more departments or larger budgets. To me, it means building systems and teams capable of operating semi-independently. When decision-making is decentralised, new initiatives don’t all have to wait for a single executive bottleneck. I am learning to step back for the most part and teaching my team to follow and apply The MIG Way until I am required. That’s what I call building an idea-ready organisation. It’s a company structured for learning and experimentation without losing coherence. Toyota refers to this as ‘Kaizen’, the ongoing, incremental improvement woven throughout the system. Instead of top-down innovation initiatives, every team contributes minor enhancements daily. 3M, an American multinational conglomerate, has the well-known 15% rule, and Google employs the 20% policy. Both operate on the same principle: controlled freedom to explore within defined boundaries. Innovation scales best when structure and culture work together. Our systems must provide clarity, and our culture must provide curiosity. One without the other

In the busy streets of Accra, a young executive assistant enters a local waakye spot. Instead of paying immediately, she enters a code and chooses Credit, a Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) plan. The cost? Around 40 Ghana cedis, divided over four weeks. It’s a small amount for a simple meal. Yet, in that moment, we catch a glimpse of a quiet revolution reshaping urban life in Ghana. BNPL is now woven into everyday life. It’s no longer just for smartphones or cars; it’s financing school uniforms, groceries, and even basic health treatments. This shift is steadily changing the pace of city living and has given rise to non-banking credit and loan institutions. Admittedly, I run a microfinance enterprise myself, although I am not promoting it as much as my other businesses, yet (www.WellMaxCredit.com). So, believe me when I tell you, the moment people hear an interest rate twice the national GRR, it’s already a yes. Globally, the BNPL industry is expected to surpass US $560 billion in 2025 (FinTech Futures, 2025). In Africa, the model’s appeal is clear: low barriers to entry, mobile-first interfaces, and a generation increasingly comfortable with digital finance (Mastercard BNPL in Africa Report, 2024). However, with opportunity comes risk, and the stakes for African cities are uniquely high. Why BNPL is booming in African cities Three forces are driving the BNPL surge across the continent. Smartphone penetration Affordable devices and mobile internet have given millions access to digital marketplaces where BNPL is baked into checkout processes (Mastercard BNPL in Africa Report, 2024). Informal economies A large share of urban workers operate outside formal banking systems. BNPL offers them flexible, low-friction access to goods and services (McKinsey Informal Economy Trends Report, 2024). Cultural aspirations Rising urban populations, fuelled by a young demographic, are eager to access modern lifestyles, and BNPL makes aspirational spending feel attainable. Companies are tailoring BNPL models for local realities, targeting everything from laptops to fertiliser. Yet, beneath this innovation lies an uncomfortable truth: when we have to access our basic essential purchases through financing, it is a sign that the social fabric is under significant stress. The danger of normalising debt for survival Historically, credit served as a lever for investment, like financing a house, an education, or a business. Today, BNPL is increasingly used for essential spending: meals, work shoes, and utility bills. This shift is subtle but profound. It risks creating a new class of “credit-dependent citizens” whose monthly budgets are built on fragmented, deferred obligations. In Accra, informal surveys estimate that up to 30% of BNPL users have at least three concurrent instalment plans (McKinsey Informal Economy Trends Report, 2024). Many rotate repayments to stay afloat, effectively juggling micro-debts to maintain a semblance of normalcy. Without careful regulation and financial education, this could spiral into systemic fragility. I have discussed this with the Micro-Credit Association of Ghana. There is strong interest in exploring nationwide frameworks for responsible BNPL lending and linking it to broader financial inclusion goals. BNPL’s impact on urban resilience Why does this matter beyond individual households? It’s because financially vulnerable citizens weaken the economic resilience of entire cities. This erosion manifests in multiple, interconnected ways that quietly but decisively destabilise the foundations of urban life. Lower household savings When instalments consistently eat into future income, families are left with little or no capacity to absorb financial shocks. This leaves them vulnerable to emergencies and everyday fluctuations: a rise in food prices, a sick child, or a delayed salary. Over time, this erodes intergenerational wealth as parents struggle to save for their children’s education or invest in long-term goals. Weaker consumer confidence In an environment where BNPL obligations already fragment disposable income, consumer spending becomes reactive rather than strategic. People buy only what they need immediately, often in smaller quantities, which reduces bulk purchases and negatively impacts overall business margins. This volatility makes it more challenging for SMEs to forecast demand, manage inventory, or access credit effectively. Higher mental health burdens The emotional toll of juggling repayments, dodging defaults, and living under constant financial uncertainty is severe. Persistent financial anxiety is closely linked to depression, low self-worth, and in some cases, substance dependency (World Health Organization, 2024). As stress compounds, it can affect productivity at work, relationships at home, and even physical health. Reduced civic engagement Citizens trapped in a cycle of economic survival have reduced time and energy for community life, whether it’s volunteering, attending town meetings, or participating in local initiatives. This undermines social cohesion and trust, both of which are essential for stable, resilient urban environments. Urban fragility doesn’t begin with crumbling roads or traffic congestion. It begins with individuals forced to navigate daily life without the essential cushion of financial security. Cities flourish when people can plan, invest, and dream. Unchecked BNPL dependency transforms ambition into anxiety and undermines the fundamental concept of sustainable urban development. Policy interventions: Building healthy credit ecosystems BNPL is not inherently bad. It can be a powerful tool for inclusion if managed wisely. However, like any powerful tool, it requires guardrails, feedback loops, and a deep understanding of how it interacts with vulnerable communities. African regulators, FinTechs, civic leaders, and even educators must collaborate to shape an ecosystem that balances access with protection. Cap effective interest rates Some BNPL models mask high fees as “service charges.” These add up quickly, especially when users carry multiple loans. Transparency must be enforced. Clear legal definitions should distinguish between service fees and disguised interest. Policymakers should mandate disclosure of the total cost of credit, perhaps in local languages, using examples that reflect everyday purchases. Mandate plain-language contracts Contracts must be readable at a secondary school level and structured so that the most critical terms (interest rate, penalties, duration) appear upfront. A consumer should not need a lawyer to understand a loan agreement. Regulators might also explore using iconography and simplified “credit scorecards” so customers can compare offers like they do prepaid bundles. Integrate repayment data into credit bureaus A well-managed BNPL repayment history

A young teenager started screaming in pain. It came out of nowhere. She drew in breaths with much difficulty and her breathing became harder. She began to have all-round body pain which was inexplicable, at first. This got her extremely dizzy and really weak. Then came a tinge a jaundice in her previously bright eyes. The condition was reoccurring. Her family had sought medical advice but not everyone can afford a doctor every time for a condition that seems to come and go at will. Plus it gets costly. So out of love, and a desperate need to help her ailing child, a mother sought help from a self-proclaimed “prayer warrior” who advised that the child be bathed with ‘holy water’ at the church camp where the kid was to stay for two weeks. During another painful episode, the child got bathed in the middle of the night, with cold water, made pure and ‘holy’. What happened next? Did the child get better? Stay anywhere in Africa for a while with your eyes and ears wide open and you would know that the above story is probably true somewhere at some point in time. I totally fabricated this one though because I imagined a sickle-celled individual, in a painful crisis, being bath with cold water, in a scenario like that. Do you know what happens when someone in that condition gets cold water poured all over him or her? I didn’t know before. I know now. Do you? Why should you even know? Because a child with sickle cell would likely die in that scenario and this is true. Doctors might inform on a condition yet those around the afflicted, those that care but aren’t well-informed, those that don’t know you but affect the situation indirectly, how do they help? How do you get them to help, to care. The answer: ADVOCACY. It is the simple, public, well-intended support for or recommendation of a cause or an action. You get to choose your pick. We’ll still stick to the facts. This remains an opinion piece. What really IS Advocacy? Remember the Ice-Bucket Challenge? Almost everybody heard of it. Most people partook in it. It raised a lot of money and awareness for the cause. The thing is I doubt a huge portion of those that dropped iced cold water on themselves understood why and what they were doing. It got very trendy very fast and I liked that it did. Because it worked for the cause. When Bill Gates does something in the public eye, the International Federation of Dorks, an organisation I believe totally exists, will follow suit. When Kylie Jenner does same, massive mimicry amongst influencers ensues. And it goes on. That is how the Ice Bucket Challenge became so widely popular. It is actually the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, intended to bring attention to Lou Gehrig’s disease, known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This exercise raised over $155 million. Think of all the good that money did, or could do. That public support for the ALS cause, that is advocacy. Advocacy, in your own way, is saying “hey, I myself want to know more about this plight, then I want you to know more about it too, then I want you and I to do something about it together to make it better”. And actually taking a step to do all three. Why is Advocacy important? Think voting. Think of how powerful your ONE thumb can be when it joins forces with millions of others with similar intentions. That’s why advocacy is important. We all want something different about the world we live in, something a little bit better. Big corporations and governments have powerful effects on real-life situations but so is the public when we join forces. There is nothing more urgent than people uniting with one voice. Advocacy can change things faster than waiting on the powers that be to effect that change. Get a voice on an issue that’s important to you. Defend and safeguard the rights of the afflicted in that instance. Have their wishes materially considered in your decision making. And you can become an instrument of real change. The NGO Problem. In the UK, I know for a fact that at the very least, misappropriation of funds or failure to follow proper financial procedures and filings would lead to an immediate investigation of an NGO, with the findings published publicly for all to see. Running and managing an NGO is not easy. However, it is widely acknowledged that we have an accountability problem with NGOS here in Ghana, generally speaking. This is not to discredit the good and hardworking people fighting for the poor and the needy. I’m simply saying that easily measurable performance indicators and education on impact guidelines would significantly improve the situation. My aim is not to be unnecessarily verbose, as some problems do not need to be overstated. I believe solutions should be explored more until some are effective. I have just shared my two cents on the matter. I will express it again in much clearer words, to whom it may concern: HELP the NGO’s over here by EDUCATING them on WHAT TO DO to have a bigger IMPACT the RIGHT WAY, since many (and I) can claim massive ignorance on subject matters we genuinely care about. Then investigate and take appropriate action on those that fail to follow set guidelines, both existing and forthcoming. So, what prompted this Advocacy thing? The story goes (a real story this time) that the forever gracious Nancy Nwadire reached out one day a long while back, and we had one of those creatively fulfilling conversations that make you go “ok, that was nice.” She’s really fantastic, you know, founder of the leading luxury fashion brand ICONIC INVANITY. She put me in touch with another gift to Africa, and I felt inspired. A few of my close friends have sickle-cell anaemia. So I have, at one point or many