Invest in the craft, not hype: Ghanaian creator Adnan Saani on why social media alone will not pay

Ghanaian entrepreneur and educator Adnan Saani, who goes by @adnansaani on TikTok, has urged fellow content creators to view their work as a legitimate profession and invest in the skills required to succeed. In an interview with Joy Business, Saani emphasized that social media alone cannot sustain a livelihood, and that creators must build something substantial to capitalize on their attention.

"Attention is not the business. Attention is the door. If there is nothing behind the door, people walk in and walk out," he cautioned.

Saani is widely recognized as Ghana's most reviewed Airbnb host, boasting over 7,690 verified guest reviews and an impressive 4.86-star average from a decade of hosting through Superhost status. He manages more than 70 short-stay apartments across Ghana, Morocco, and Ivory Coast without owning any of them, utilizing management agreements with property owners. "I started with one apartment, the one-bedroom I was living in. I listed it as a short-stay rental and grew from there," he recounted.

His wealth of content on money management, ownership, and financial discipline has garnered a sizable following across Africa. Saani implored unemployed young Ghanaian men and women to focus more on online business and urged the government to prepare them for global competition. In June, the Ghana Armed Forces invited him to speak on financial literacy, and in August, he delivered a keynote address for Fido, a fintech company based in Accra, after they approached him independently. He also conducts financial literacy sessions for businesses throughout Ghana.

Saani continues to hold free live training sessions every Thursday at 7pm, teaching aspiring Airbnb hosts how to build a successful business without owning property.