{"id":116118,"date":"2026-02-19T22:10:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116118"},"modified":"2026-02-19T22:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:10:42","slug":"from-uk-losses-to-ghana-gains-ceo-of-jacob-west-limited-michael-kyei-ayensu-details-real-estate-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116118","title":{"rendered":"From UK losses to Ghana gains: CEO of Jacob West Limited Michael Kyei-Ayensu details real estate journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jacob West Ltd, Michael Kyei-Ayensu, has revealed that the devastating 2008 global financial crisis forced him to abandon a UK business and return to Ghana to rebuild from scratch.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Personality Profile<\/strong> with Lexis Bill<\/strong> on Joy FM<\/strong>, the Ghanaian entrepreneur recounted how the credit crunch wiped out much of the progress he and his brother had made in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

UK success derailed by global recession<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Kyei-Ayensu, who was a guest on the show on Thursday, February 19, said his UK-based property and financial services business was performing strongly until the global downturn struck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we were doing very well in the UK\u2026 the latter part of 2007, 2008, there was this beast of a credit crunch, like the whole world,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

According to him, the downturn was swift and brutal, collapsing deal flow almost overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was crazy. Like what we were achieving became less than 1% of what we were achieving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He noted that while more experienced entrepreneurs had seen similar cycles before, he and his brother were unprepared for the scale of the disruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut for us, we had no clue. We didn\u2019t have any idea how we\u2019re going to navigate this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heavy losses and business collapse<\/strong><\/p>\n

The impact was severe. Mr Kyei-Ayensu disclosed that the crisis forced them to surrender multiple properties and lose significant equity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost quite a few properties,\u201d he told the programme.<\/p>\n

Pressed on the extent of the damage, he added, \u201cDown in terms of losing properties, three to four properties with all equity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The operational slowdown was equally dramatic. Weekly business volumes plunged from about 20 transactions to just one.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s say we\u2019re doing 20 cases a week. It became one case a week. That\u2019s how bad it was,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n

He attributed the collapse largely to tightening credit conditions in the UK banking sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally, banks were pulling financial products from the market, which doesn\u2019t allow us to brokerage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decision to return to Ghana<\/strong><\/p>\n

Faced with shrinking opportunities and mounting losses, Mr Kyei-Ayensu said he and his brother made a decisive strategic pivot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was literally from hero to zero. And it was tough. And then from that point on, our minds were like, let\u2019s get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their conclusion was clear and immediate: \u201cLet\u2019s get out of here. Let\u2019s try Ghana. Let\u2019s try Ghana.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move marked the beginning of what would later become one of Ghana\u2019s emerging indigenous real estate and property advisory brands.<\/p>\n

Building Jacob West in Ghana<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since relocating, Mr Kyei-Ayensu has focused on building Jacob West Ltd into a player in Ghana\u2019s real estate brokerage and property services space.<\/p>\n

Industry observers note that his return coincided with Ghana\u2019s post-2008 property expansion, driven by urbanisation, diaspora investment and rising demand for formal housing in Accra and other major cities.<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, the company has positioned itself around:<\/p>\n