Kenyan content creator Terence Creative has raised questions about the cost of YouTube philanthropist MrBeast's latest project, a self-sustaining community in Ghana's Eastern Region. The project, which reportedly cost KSh 1.2 billion, aims to provide a safe haven for families whose children are trapped in illegal labour on cocoa farms. MrBeast released a video on September 19, 2026, documenting the construction of Abna Dakwa, a village that took eight months to build following a year of planning.
The Abna Dakwa village is a comprehensive project that includes a 10-classroom school serving over 300 students, 10 free homes for teachers, and a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to provide students with free daily meals for five years. The village also features an off-grid solar power system, two large water towers, a medical clinic, community marketplace, agricultural farm, and fish tanks for aquaculture. Engineers also overhauled the drainage system to protect the school from flooding.
The project received support from various organizations, including the 1 Billion Followers Summit, Varkey Foundation, and Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. MrBeast also flew in 10 international content creators, including Ghanaian YouTuber Wode Maya and Kenyan creator Duty Boy Stylish, to participate in the build. The village is part of a broader programme targeting 11 cocoa-growing communities through 2030, connected to MrBeast's Feastables brand and its campaign against child labour in West Africa.
Despite the project's scope, Terence Creative questioned the cost, counting the visible structures in MrBeast's footage and arriving at a figure far below the reported KSh 1.2 billion. He estimated that the cost of the residential structures alone would be around KSh 260 million, a fraction of the reported spend. Terence Creative suggested that someone may be overpricing MrBeast on these African projects.
Terence Creative's estimate, however, was based solely on the residential structures visible in the video and did not account for the school, clinic, solar system, water towers, drainage works, marketplace, farm, or fish tanks included in MrBeast's reported budget. His comments have sparked a debate about the true cost of the project and the potential for overpricing in humanitarian projects in Africa.
The Abna Dakwa project aims to ease the economic pressures that keep kids out of school and provide a safe haven for families affected by child labour. The project's impact is expected to be significant, with the potential to improve the lives of hundreds of people in the community. MrBeast's humanitarian work has been widely recognized, and his efforts to tackle child labour in West Africa have been commended.
The controversy surrounding the project's cost highlights the need for transparency and accountability in humanitarian projects. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the true cost of the project will be verified and what impact it will have on future humanitarian efforts in Africa.
Key points
- Terence Creative questions the KSh 1.2 billion cost of MrBeast's Ghana village project.
- The Abna Dakwa village project aims to provide a safe haven for families affected by child labour.
- The project's scope includes a school, clinic, solar system, and other infrastructure.
