(A satirical dispatch from the Republic).

Once upon a time in the Republic of Uncommon Sense, we did not merely build houses.

We built intentions.

Drive through almost any community in Ghana and you will see them — proud pillars, exposed iron rods, half-finished walls standing confidently against the sky like monuments to optimism.

These are not abandoned buildings.

They are declarations.

They are architectural announcements that say:

“I have started.”

And in our culture, starting is almost completion.

We celebrate foundation. We organize slab ceremonies. We take photos with cement mixers. But when it comes to roofing? Windows? Plumbing?

Ah.

That is where mathematics interrupts ambition.

Let us examine the formula.

You buy land.

You start building.

You assume money will “continue.”

Then inflation enters like an uninvited uncle at a wedding — loud, disruptive, and impossible to ignore.

Suddenly, cement prices have increased. Iron rods are behaving like gold. Labour has adjusted upward. Transport has adjusted upward. Your salary, however, remains patriotic — unchanged since independence.

And just like that, the project moves to what every Ghanaian understands as:

Phase Two.

Phase Two is a mysterious location.

Nobody has seen it.

But everybody believes in it.

“Next year we will continue.”

“After the bonus we will continue.”

“When cocoa season is good, we will continue.”

Meanwhile, the iron rods continue standing faithfully toward heaven, rusting gently in prayer.

But let us pause the laughter for a moment.

Uncompleted buildings in Ghana are not just neighborhood jokes.

They represent:

* Locked capital

* Financial strain

* Urban disorder

* Security risks

* Mosquito training academies

* Emotional stress for families

Sometimes, entire life savings are frozen in concrete that never reaches a roof.

Sometimes, a man’s retirement plan is standing roofless, collecting rainwater and regret.

And here is the deeper truth:

This is not just about buildings.

It is about how we plan.

We start businesses without runway.

We launch initiatives without feasibility studies.

We announce before we analyze.

We pour before we calculate.

The building is simply the metaphor.

In the Republic, ambition runs faster than arithmetic.

Now imagine a different culture.

Imagine we normalized:

Planning before pouring.

Financing before foundation.

Completion before expansion.

Imagine children growing up asking, “Daddy, why do old houses have iron rods sticking out?”

And we respond, “That was the old Ghana.”

Progress would not be loud.

It would be finished.

Now let me ask you:

How many unfinished buildings are in your area?

Is yours one of them?

What stopped it?

Inflation? Over-ambition? Poor planning? Life?

Let’s have an honest conversation.

Because satire is not mockery.

It is reflection wearing a smile.

If this made you laugh — and think — share it.

Tag someone currently in Phase Two.

And follow Republic of Uncommon Sense for more national therapy.

Because if we can finish the joke…

Perhaps we can finish the building.

Before You Go…

If you are tired of Phase Two thinking — in construction, in business, or in life — then it may be time to upgrade your mental blueprint.

The Uncommon Sense Playbook: Thinking Clearly in Noisy Times is not about cement.

It is about clarity.

It helps you plan before you pour, think before you announce, and calculate before you commit.

Because sometimes, the building is not the problem.

The blueprint is.