52-year-old blind man defies odds to sell coconut for a living

On the principal streets of Accra and other major cities across the country, it is a common feature to see beggars who are mostly blind tugging the arms of relations as they move from vehicle to vehicle, pleading and asking for alms.

But one man has defied the odds proving to us that disability is really not inability.

52-year-old Samuel Kwasi Nyedu who is a former student of Akropong School for the Blind and Okuapeman Senior High School sells coconut for a living.

Kwasi Nyedu who has been blind for over 40 years has been in the coconut selling business for close to 15 years to take care of his family.

The coconut business involves the use of sharp cutlasses to rip the husk from the nut before selling to customers hence perceived as a reserve of persons without any form of visual impairment but Kwasi Nyedu has proved us all wrong.

He does not only sell the coconut but climbs coconut trees to harvest the fruits himself.

Narrating his story to a young man who was buying coconut from him, Kwasi Nyedu said “I started this thing about 15 years ago and in fact, it has helped me to look after my wife and children. I climb the coconut tree, cut the fruit down and after I pick it, carry it to the roadside and transport it using my wheelbarrow”.

According to him, he has been discouraged several times by people to stop the business because of his condition but he is not swayed by what they say because those who tell him to do so, don’t help him in any way by providing alternatives to take care of his family, as such, he will continue to do the coconut business to take care of himself and his family.

He used the opportunity to advise all disabled people to desist from begging on the streets and find something lucrative to do, using his life as an inspiration.